Place and liveability program

Learning activities 

Students explore the diverse and dynamic suburb of Meadowbank to engage in place-based inquiry. This fieldwork investigation focuses on the recently developed Shepherd's Bay Urban Village, examining the cultural, social, economic, infrastructural and environmental features of this urban renewal project and their impact on liveability for the people that live there. Students conduct a liveability survey, stopping at sites of interest to collect qualitative and quantitative data using specialised fieldwork equipment. This data will be analysed and discussed with respect to varying perceptions of liveability. Students will also conduct a case study on the Parramatta River and examine its role on the liveability of Shepherd's Bay as a riverside urban place.

Inquiry questions

• What effect does environmental quality, access to services and facilities, and social connectedness have on the liveability of Shepherd's Bay Urban Village?
• How can we measure, assess and rank liveability?
• How might perceptions of liveability differ between social groups?
  

Fieldwork

This program offers Stage 4 students with an authentic opportunity to develop their fieldwork skills and use specialised scientific equipment.

Students will engage in multiple fieldwork activities using digital and non-digital geographic tools to measure, assess and evaluate the liveability of Meadowbank, Shepherd's Bay Urban Village and the Parramatta River foreshore.

The excursion commences with exploratory and observational activities which develop students' sense of place. Students will using mapping and field sketching to identify key features, identify study sites, and make predictions as they draw visual comparisons.

Students will complete a walking survey of Meadowbank and Shepherd's Bay Urban Village to quantify and qualify the features of these places across a range of liveability criteria including social, cultural, economic and environmental factors. Students will use scientific equipment to measure environmental quality including sound, humidity, and temperature.

Students engage in a case study of swimming in the Parramatta River, using historical photos and water quality testing methods to examine how urbanisation has impacted environmental quality, and how this in turn has impacted liveability for places such as Shepherd's Bay and Meadowbank.

Through discussion, students will collectively analyse their data and generate objective evaluations on the liveability of each study site. Students will be encouraged to engage in deep thinking as they reflect of their own perceptions of liveability and how this influences conclusions drawn.