Deciphering the character of landscapes for communicating information: a qualitative study of two Victorian localities identified as being ‘at-risk’ of bushfire

© 2019 Dr. Sondra DickinsonBased on comparative ethnography, this dissertation proposes an original framework for identifying how the social and physical environments of different localities jointly shape interactions occurring between people and with place. These interactions, in effect, convey overarching dispositions that are deemed character landscapes throughout this analysis. Providing a basis for recognition and analysis of such overarching dispositions is intended to assist emergency management researchers and practitioners with understanding how information may be communicated effectively within discernible networks in a landscape. Analysis of interplay between physical and social environments creates a sentient roadmap for practitioners to follow, revealing the who, what, when, where, why and how of communicating information in different communities. The proposed framework is built around two research outcomes. First, based on review of literature, the thesis defines distinctive aspects of physical and social environments that are key to shaping the character of a given landscape. Secondly, it presents the character landscapes of two localities in Victoria, Australia, as identified using this approach; one of these comprises three neighbouring communities along the Otway Coast, a holiday destination for many residents of Melbourne and hinterland areas; the other comprises three communities in the Dandenong Ranges, from which many residents commute to work in Melbourne. While these two localities are similar in being ‘at-risk of bushfire’ as defined by the Victorian State Government, they also are demonstrably different in very important ways; one, the analysis asserts, is ‘fractured’, and the other contains ‘enclaves’. The fractured and enclave character of these respective landscapes, I argue, are crucial for understanding the networks and means of spreading information within these localities. Recognising these differences highlights potential pathways to communicate information; pathways that ultimately are shaped by the character of those areas. Through the process of developing the framework and demonstrating its development through ethnographic descriptions, a set of terminology has also been refined to clarify focal concepts. These concepts are drawn from interdisciplinary literature, but their application, and their orientation within the framework, has been deeply informed by analysis of the empirical research data. Though many are not, in themselves, theoretically new, the way in which the terms and concepts are deployed relative to each other in this research is original. The dissertation concludes by exploring implications of the research findings through hypothetical responses to a scenario that consider where information could be targeted within either landscape to bring about a greater likelihood of sharing and dissemination. The themes addressed through hypothetical responses are interconnected and addressed by joining key concepts from the research with plausible, imagined information sharing activities. The core tenets arising from the hypothetical discussion emphasise how different approaches are necessary when manufacturing and communicating risk information for diverse localities. Ensuring relevant information is communicated effectively to audiences and integrated into existing risk mitigation practices is critical to addressing the need for improved management of individuals’ increasingly precarious positions within the broader risk landscape. The framework developed through my research and presented in this dissertation is a contribution to achieving this end