23. Diversity and Cities

In Sydney, changing international migration patterns and the rise of apartment living means people of different cultural backgrounds are regularly interacting with each other inside their high-density buildings. And it’s not without its problems. In 2016, it was estimated that around 55 per cent of the world's population now lived in cities. By 2030, urban areas are projected to house 60 per cent of the world’s population. While migration and compact city policies are rarely seen as intersecting by policy makers, cultural difference and living in close proximity to each other can compound the tensions that already exist in apartment buildings and society more broadly. These tensions could be about shoes being left in common areas, or washing hung on balconies, or 'offensive' cooking smells wafting beyond the kitchen walls and down the halls. These tensions are connected to the gradual shift away from migrants from countries such as the UK and the increase in migrants from countries such as China and India. Today we’re talking to Chris Ho from the University of Technology and Edgar Liu from the University of New South Wales, about how high density living and cultural diversity are changing the way we live in Australian cities. And when it comes to intercultural relations, little attention has been given to what’s happening inside the apartments building of our cities. Guests Dr Christina Ho is a Senior Lecturer & Discipline Coordinator, Social and Political Sciences, within the Communications program, based in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.  Chris is interested in: multiculturalism, diversity politics and cosmopolitanism; migration policy and migrant experiences; cultural and national identity formation among migrants; Chinese migration to Australia, including Chinese international students; Muslim diasporas and gender; cultural citizenship and community arts; segregation and schooling; and ethnic concentration and community building in urban areas.  Dr Edgar Liu is a Research Fellow at the Faculty of Built Environment's City Futures Research Centre. He joined the Centre in April 2009 soon after completing his PhD in cultural geography at the University of New South Wales. His research primarily focuses on assessing the effectiveness of public housing estate regeneration in Australia; service integration and Indigenous housing; affordable housing; housing choice decision-making; and concepts of community and place.