Brisbane Inner City - Essay Example

BRISBANE INNER Introduction: Situated at the bank of famous River Brisbane, the carrying the same i.e. Brisbane, serves as the capital as well as the largest metropolis of the Queensland state of Australia. Containing noteworthy geographical and strategic location, beautiful scenery, superb recreational points, magnificent commercial centres and divergent racial, religious and ethnic groups, the city is considered as one of the most imperative regions of the entire country, which has played significant role during the strategic and economic campaigns launched by the Australian political and administrative authorities during World War II and other events. Brisbane is the busiest commercial centre of the Queensland, which not only earns significant revenue for the entire state, but also it carries the load of unemployment, educational and health requirements of Queensland. It is therefore the people from suburb regions migrate towards the capital city for business and employment purposes. The history as well as the demographic, cultural, social, economic and religious aspects of the city have been analysed under the following headings: Historical Background: The archaeologists have defined various methodologies while detecting the historical backgrounds of different regions and cities of the world. The same is the case with Brisbane city, where the archaeologists and theorists lay stress upon estimating and analysing the nature, characteristics and features of creeks, hills, meadows and ravines, situated in Brisbane, around which this splendid city has been constructed. “To discover the early history of Brisbane, one needs to look no further than the oyster shell mounds found along the canyons and ravines of its creeks. From those mounds, archaeologists have unearthed relics of the first inhabitants of the area: the Costanoan Indians.” (Retrieved from ci.brisbane.ca.us) The Costanoan Indians lived in this coastal city for decades with peace and solidarity till the European nations started arriving towards the city and taking its hold through their military might. Though the US, French and other European nations set their foot in the land, it were the British forces officials who captured the control of the country and set up their political and military establishment in Australia. Sir Thomas Brisbane is regarded as the founder person of the Brisbane city in 1825, which established the city on modern lines. The city was divided into zones and councils during the second half of twentieth century, and is still in the way to making rapid socioeconomic progress during the course of time. Geography: Brisbane city has great geographical significance, encompassing the splendid military, economic and strategic importance. “Brisbane city centre is situated in the southeast corner of Queensland, Australia, at a latitude and longitude of 27°28153°02. The greater Brisbane region lies on the coastal plain east of the Great Dividing Range, although the urban area is dotted by large hills reaching up to 300 metres such as Mount Coot-tha, Mount Gravatt, Whites Hill and Stephens Mountain.” (Quoted in wn.com) Surrounded by the deep waves of vast rivers, the citizens get engaged in trade and travelling through sea and land that brings huge earning for the economic activities for the city. Demographic Characteristics: Brisbane city witnessed gradual growth in all its regions during the last thirteen years. The population of numerous councils has been estimated in 1996, 2001 and 2006, though few of the areas observed some downfall. “Brisbane has recorded the highest percentage rate of population growth of all state capital cities every year since 1990. Brisbanes sustained population growth translated directly into job growth.” (brisbane-australia.com) Statistics observe 2.2% increase in the population of Brisbane from 1996 to 2001; while from 2001 onward, the increase was estimated as 2.6% in the inner city. “According to population estimates released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), from 2001 to 2006 the population of the north Queensland mining town of Weipa increased by 39%. East Pilbara in the north of Western Australia grew by 27% and Roxby Downs, near the Olympic Dam mine in South Australia, grew by 18%. The district of Mackay, which services the inland Queensland Bowen Basin mining region, increased by almost 13,000 people. Meanwhile the drought appears to have impacted on several regions in inland Australia. The populations of the western NSW areas of Bourke and Central Darling are decreased by almost 20%. Some inland Queensland areas were also hard hit, including Balonne (down 12%).” Since Brisbane city has been divided into nineteen councils, population analyses of which are described in the following table on the basis of councils of the city. The estimated population of the city has also been described in the following table: Table 1: Council Estimated resident population Counted at home No. Bowen Hills 874 833 City - Inner 1,017 903 City - Remainder 1,842 1,694 Dutton Park 1,354 1,254 Fortitude Valley - Inner 1,288 1,184 Fortitude Valley - Rem 2,012 1,830 Herston 1,831 1,680 Highgate Hill 5,337 4,874 Kangaroo Point 5,620 5,089 Kelvin Grove 4,198 3,855 Milton 1,637 1,461 New Farm 10,216 9,294 Newstead 2,939 2,664 Paddington 7,411 6,742 Red Hill 5,048 4,640 South Brisbane 3,094 2,788 Spring Hill 3,671 3,428 West End 5,950 5,462 Woolloongabba 3,860 3,570 Inner City Region 69,199 63,245 Brisbane City 898,480 838,099 (Retrieved from svc189.bne146v.server-web.com)  Table 1 reveals the individual resident population of the metropolis city of Brisbane in respect of estimated and at home population of different councils. According to the table, New Farm is the most populated one containing over sixty nine thousands estimated population, followed by West End and Kangaroo Point respectively. Bowen Hills appears to be the least populated area having only 833 people, which indicates imperative difference between the most populated and least populated areas of the metropolis. Fig 1: Figure 1 portrays the council-wise distribution of the population of Brisbane Inner City, which reveals the very fact that there exists great divergence between the most populated and least populated councils of the city. In addition, the pie chart also depicts the expected growth in the population, which draws out different proportional growth of population. Table 2 Age Profile (percentages)  Estimated resident population   0-14 % 15-24 % 25-34 % 35-44 % 45-54 % 55-64 % 65-74 % 75+ %  Bowen Hills 7.4%  16.9%  25.4%  13.5%  14.4%  10.2%  4.7%  7.4%   City - Inner 6.9%  17.3%  24.1%  15.3%  18.3%  11.2%  3.9%  2.9%   City - Remainder 4.0%  32.7%  27.9%  11.7%  10.3%  7.0%  3.2%  3.2%   Dutton Park 14.5%  14.6%  17.4%  15.6%  11.8%  10.0%  8.4%  7.7%   Fortitude Valley - Inner 5.9%  27.2%  31.3%  12.4%  10.0%  6.1%  4.5%  2.6%   Fortitude Valley - Rem 7.4%  16.7%  24.0%  16.7%  12.7%  8.7%  5.7%  8.1%   Herston 10.9%  22.4%  25.3%  12.7%  9.7%  5.7%  4.9%  8.4%   Highgate Hill 11.2%  18.2%  23.4%  16.2%  12.0%  7.7%  5.5%  5.7%   Kangaroo Point 7.3%  18.8%  23.8%  12.9%  14.0%  10.6%  5.0%  7.4%   Kelvin Grove 10.2%  25.9%  25.6%  12.6%  9.8%  5.9%  3.7%  6.2%   Milton 9.8%  26.7%  26.8%  11.9%  9.6%  6.8%  4.0%  4.4%   New Farm 6.6%  14.3%  26.2%  14.7%  12.2%  8.7%  6.8%  10.5%   Newstead 7.9%  14.5%  30.5%  17.5%  13.7%  9.7%  3.7%  2.4%   Paddington 11.3%  20.2%  27.8%  13.7%  11.6%  6.3%  4.4%  4.6%   Red Hill 11.9%  18.8%  27.6%  15.7%  11.3%  6.3%  4.2%  4.3%   South Brisbane 9.4%  21.7%  21.4%  13.3%  12.7%  11.3%  5.6%  4.7%   Spring Hill 7.4%  27.2%  24.2%  13.3%  12.9%  7.8%  4.5%  2.8%   West End 11.3%  17.6%  23.6%  15.9%  11.4%  8.0%  6.2%  6.1%   Woolloongabba 11.3%  16.8%  23.1%  16.7%  12.3%  7.8%  5.4%  6.7%   Inner City Region 9.3%  19.5%  25.3%  14.5%  12.0%  8.1%  5.2%  6.1%   Brisbane City 18.0%  16.0%  16.9%  14.8%  13.4%  8.9%  6.1%  5.9%  (Retrieved from svc189.bne146v.server-web.com) The above table distributes the councils on the basis of age group. According to the table, more than half of the population of almost all councils is in the age group between 15 and 34, followed by the age group from 35 to 54 years of age. It points out to the reality that an overwhelming majority of the Brisbane Inner City belongs to workable stratum of society, and can add its share in the nation building programmes. Table also shows that one tenth of the population belongs to the aged stratum of society, majority of which serves as non-productive part of society. Table 3:  Relationship in household (numbers)  Persons in occupied private dwellings   Husband or wife (a) No. Lone parent No. Child under 15 No. Dep student (15-24) No. Other individuals No. Group hhold member No. Lone person No. Total usual res at home No.  Bowen Hills 216  24  42  10  65  113  178  648   City - Inner 359  22  50  32  60  87  168  778   City - Remainder 440  27  47  17  112  394  451  1,488   Dutton Park 389  59  173  49  135  127  228  1,160   Fortitude Valley - Inner 306  18  31  11  65  244  208  883   Fortitude Valley - Rem 400  38  94  24  112  332  398  1,398   Herston 470  37  139  35  133  338  168  1,320   Highgate Hill 1,594  183  527  164  408  782  965  4,623   Kangaroo Point 1,642  144  313  107  376  844  1,006  4,432   Kelvin Grove 1,222  104  357  103  331  852  535  3,504   Milton 421  43  128  28  148  340  231  1,339   New Farm 2,891  217  523  151  571  1,297  2,386  8,036   Newstead 1,183  51  185  38  151  352  525  2,485   Paddington 2,526  219  701  207  578  1,278  891  6,400   Red Hill 1,700  131  523  126  336  729  696  4,241   South Brisbane 793  55  174  59  169  423  468  2,141   Spring Hill 772  58  121  55  169  575  524  2,274   West End 1,747  234  581  181  496  804  1,002  5,045   Woolloongabba 1,108  165  391  106  406  523  620  3,319   Inner City Region 20,179  1,829  5,100  1,503  4,821  10,434  11,648  55,514   Brisbane City 358,573  35,263  151,516  43,489  78,571  50,548  85,753  803,713  (Retrieved from svc189.bne146v.server-web.com) Table 3 describes the nature and proportion of relationships with reference to various locations of Brisbane city. Column 1 discusses the names of various areas of the city under study, while Column 2 of the table shows the numbers of spouses in the city. According to this column, New Farm contains the largest number of spouses in relationship, followed by Paddington and West End respectively. In addition, West End carries the highest number of lone parents, which is estimated as 234. While discussing Column 4, revealing number of children under 15, Paddington appears at the highest position, followed by Highgate Hill and Red Hull respectively. Similarly, Paddington contains the highest number of dependent students belonging to age-group from 15 to 24 years. Moreover, New Farm and Kangaroo Point have imperative number of the individuals leading lonely life. Furthermore, the number of usual residents is highest in New Farm and Paddington. Socioeconomic Characteristics of Brisbane City: The individuals from 15 to 65 years of age are involved in different types of economic activities in Brisbane city, though the persons above 55 years are less productive in comparison with the younger people. The distribution of population on the basis of profession has been described in the following table. Table 4: Profession Percentage Information Technology 19.2% Education 4.5% Financial/Insurance Services 5.6% Health Services 3.1% Professionals 38.8% Managers 26.4% The young generation of the city is particularly involved in scientific and technical services, which make 19.2% of total working population. In addition, nearly 3% population is affiliated with health services, while 4.5% of the individuals are attached with education. In addition, 8.7% of the working population is affiliated with financial and insurance services, health care and social assistance. Total percentage of the highly qualified professionals is 38.8%, out of which 26.4% are enjoying managerial status. Figure 2: The figure 2 reveals the distribution of population on the basis of professions and positions, according to which IT is gaining popularity among the young individuals; it is therefore, about one fifth of the youth is getting attached with this profession. In addition health and insurance sector are also capturing the attention of the professionals in Brisbane city. The Brisbane census 1996 shows that 49% of the total Brisbane population belongs to male gender, while 51% population consists of female proportion. The percentage remains almost same in the future population estimation of the city in 2001 and 2006. Figure 3 Education Level Census 2006 depicts the education level of different strata of society. The census reveals that 34.85% population is attending different level of education, while 30.1% young population consists of full time students attending universities or other tertiary institution. In addition, the percentage of part time students is 100. Since Australia has earned great name and fame in the field of education, international education industry is the major contributor to the city economy. Fertility, Mortality and Migration Rates in Brisbane City: Fertility rate refers to the total births per thousand people, while mortality rate focuses on total deaths per thousand people. Being the third largest city of one of the most advanced countries, Brisbane observes control over mortality rate, though it requires more steps taken in this direction in order to minimise death rate. Researches are of the opinion that both fertility rate and mortality rates are comparatively high in the city, where birth rate is 13.1/thousand, while mortality rate is 7.8/per thousand in 2001. Figure 3 depicts the distribution of the population on the basis of gender. According to the censuses conducted in 1996, 2001 and 2006, women make almost 51% of the total Brisbane population, while 49% population consists of men. Hence, women have slightly larger percentage than men in Brisbane city. Figure 4: Ethnicity Indigenous and Citizenship Brisbane city consists of different racial and ethnic groups, where English speaking are at the top of the list. The proportion of population in Brisbane city by ethnicity in 2006 can be studied as under: Table 5: Race No. of Individuals Percentage English 1190 22 Australian 816 15 Irish 442 8 Scottish 353 7 Chinese 306 6 Other 1187 22 Table 5 describes the very reality that nearly one fourth population is race wise English, followed by the Australian, which make up of one seventh part of the total population. Over one fifth of the population belongs to Irish, Scottish and Chinese individuals, while almost same proportion belongs to other races. The figure 5 also exclaims the same in brief, which is as following: Figure 5: Population Size and Growth Like other parts of the globe, Brisbane city also observes continuous growth in its size. Table 6: Year No of persons Growth (No. of persons) 1996 2337 1306 2001 3643 2586 2006 6229 According to the above table, there were living mere 2337 people in inner city in 1996, which witnessed growth of 1306 people (55.88% growth) in 2001. And during the next five years, there were added 2586 persons, with the increase of 71.04%. It shows swift increase in the city through births and migration. It also indicates that death rate is in constant decrease in the city. The following figures 6 and 7 portray the year-wise population and increase in population respectively: Figure 6: Year-wise population of Brisbane City (1996-2006) Figure 7: Population growth rate of Brisbane City (1996-2006) CONCLUSION: To conclude, it becomes evident that the Brisbane inner city is the amalgamation of the people belonging to divergent racial, ethnic, religious and age-groups, where their socioeconomic statuses and educational levels are also different from one another. People of this small city are confined to some particular professions, where information technology, health and insurance services are getting significant boost with the passage of time. An imperative proportion of the city is comprised of educated stratum of society, where technical education is particularly given due importance. The British community is in majority in the city, followed by Australian, Irish, Scottish and Chinese respectively. Birth rate and migration rate are in constant increase in various parts of the city, where death rate has been controlled by overcoming fatal diseases. REFERENCES: http://wn.com/s/brisbanecity/index1.html http://www.ci.brisbane.ca.us/html/about/spirit/chapter1.asp#Newlegacy http://svc189.bne146v.server-web.com/statistical_portrait/inner_city/population/ http://www.brisbanecitylife.com.au/bcl/about/history.htm http://svc189.bne146v.server-web.com/statistical_portrait/inner_city/population/ http://www.brisbane-australia.com/brisbane-is-booming.html Read More