From ‘Problem City’ to ‘Promise City’: Gentrification and the Revitalisation of Newcastle

Abstract

The city of Newcastle is a complex and changing landscape. Once regarded as Australia's 'problem city', Newcastle's identity is being significantly transformed. This identity transformation draws significantly upon the emergence of more cosmopolitan landscapes within inner Newcastle associated with the gentrification of these areas. The discourse of gentrification is inherently post-industrial, providing a cleaner and more positive identity as Newcastle seeks to erase the stigma of its' industrial heritage. However, as landscapes are the amalgam of multiple identities, Newcastle's industrial heritage periodically re-emerges to problematise the city's newly adopted cosmopolitan identity.

Name Games 1: Place Names as Rhetorical Devices

“…Once feˆted as Australia's 'steel city', the decline of the industrial economy throughout the 1980s earned Newcastle the title ''problem city'' (Docherty, 1983, cited in Dunn et al, 1995. To submerge its pessimistic identity, aggressive marketing campaigns that drew upon images of consumption and tourism aimed to position Newcastle as Australia's 'best city' on Australia's 'best coast' (Dunn et al, 1995;Winchester et al, 1996;Rofe, 2004). However, as Rofe (2004) asserts, the transition from 'problem city' to 'promise city' has been fraught with tensions as the new identity threatens the existing vernacular identity.…”

“…The Honeysuckle redevelopment site on Newcastle's waterfront is a prominent example. Research has revealed that the place name Newcastle has communicated a series of meanings throughout the city's history (Metcalfe, 1993;Metcalfe & Bern, 1994;Dunn et al, 1995;Rofe, 2000Rofe, , 2004. Once feˆted as Australia's 'steel city', the decline of the industrial economy throughout the 1980s earned Newcastle the title ''problem city'' (Docherty, 1983, cited in Dunn et al, 1995.…”

“…Yet this process can never be absolute. Traces of former identities linger and at times may emerge to problematise the reconstructed post-industrial discourse (see Rofe, 2004). This is particularly the case for those local communities whose identity and sense of place is intimately tied to the industrial landscape.…”

Landscape Accessibility: Spaces for Accessibility or Spaces for Communication?

“…At that time the neo-liberal values started to dominate in economy. They were oriented to public-private partnerships and entertainment industry (Rofe, 2004;Julier, 2005;Walker, 2007). In the literature of critical geography the works of Harvey (1990); Lash and Urry (1994); Massey (1995) consider accessibility to have a great influence.…”

Space or place?

“…landscape (see Dunn et ai. 1995;Winchester et al 1996, Rofe 2004 (see Figure 7). ,2) and local press-Rust belt no ionger (Lloyd, 2005,45).…”