Power, Glamour and Angst: Inside Australia's Elite Neighbourhoods (The Contemporary City)

__Power, Glamour and Angst__ is about the social and cultural life of three Australian neighbourhoods – Toorak (Melbourne), Mosman (Sydney) and Cottesloe (Perth) - which are home to some of the nation’s wealthiest and most powerful citizens. The book explores how living in these neighbourhoods shapes the lifestyles, social networks and status of Australia’s elites. The book explores the everyday rituals through which residents produce their neighbourhood's status. It maps residents’ social networks and exposes the local institutions – including schools and sports or social clubs – in which access to such high-powered networks is granted or withheld. __Power, Glamour and Angst__ examines how the collective social and cultural capitals of elite neighbourhoods are mobilised towards varied objectives, from initiation of business connections and opportunities, through to opposition against unwanted development or traffic, both sources of ongoing angst. Deeply conservative and resistant to change at their core, despite their wealth and power these communities have not always been successful in fully repressing external pressures. In the 21st century Australian city, even elite neighbourhoods must learn to adapt to population growth, urban densification and increased cultural diversity. Preface 6 Acknowledgements 9 Contents 11 List of Figures 13 List of Tables 14 1: Polarisation 15 Elite Neighbourhoods at the Second Gilded Age 15 Social Stratification 18 Capital and Power 22 Neighbourhoods as Sites of Capital Accumulation 26 Marginal Neighbourhood Effects: ‘Real Income’ 27 Structural Neighbourhood Effects: ‘Real Capital’ 29 Neighbourhood Angst and Protectionism 33 Introducing Toorak, Mosman, and Cottesloe 35 Toorak 37 Mosman 40 Cottesloe 44 Do Rich People Check Their Mail? 46 Book Overview 52 References 55 2: Prestige 61 Suburban Hierarchies and Niches 62 Toorak Cowboys, Mosman Mums: Distinction and Stigma 66 Luxury Cars, Mansions, and Shopping ‘Villages’ 71 Everyday Conservatism 77 Chapter Summary 83 References 84 3: Networks 86 High-Powered Networks 88 Friendships, Encounters, and Conflicts 91 Sports Clubs 95 Schools 97 Convergence of External and Neighbourhood Networks 100 Chapter Summary 101 References 103 4: Diversity 105 Diversity and Integration in Elite Networks 106 Class Diversity 107 Ethnic and Racial Diversity 110 Chapter Summary 116 References 117 5: Mobilisations 120 Wealth Accumulation 121 Influence in Politics and State Bureaucracy 123 Strategies 125 Community Facilities and Services 128 Investment in Schools 129 Curtailing Unwanted Development 130 Limited State Government Investment in Infrastructure and Services 132 Philanthropy and Volunteering Beyond the Elite Suburb 134 Chapter Summary 135 References 137 6: Densification 139 Density and Densification in Toorak, Mosman, and Cottesloe 140 Discourses of Resistance 142 Densification and Conservatism 147 Anti-densification Activism 148 Chapter Summary 152 References 154 7: Thoroughfare 156 Central and Connected 158 Paradise Lost: From Haven to Thoroughfare 161 Transport Activism and Politics 166 Chapter Summary 174 References 175 8: Contradictions 176 Neighbourhood Power 177 Neighbourhood Angst 179 From Angst to Revanchism? 182 What Can Be Done About Elite Neighbourhoods? 184 What Can Be Learned from This Work About Social and Spatial Disadvantage? 186 Final Remarks 188 References 188 References 191 Index 207 Front Matter ....Pages i-xv Polarisation (Ilan Wiesel)....Pages 1-46 Prestige (Ilan Wiesel)....Pages 47-71 Networks (Ilan Wiesel)....Pages 73-91 Diversity (Ilan Wiesel)....Pages 93-107 Mobilisations (Ilan Wiesel)....Pages 109-127 Densification (Ilan Wiesel)....Pages 129-145 Thoroughfare (Ilan Wiesel)....Pages 147-166 Contradictions (Ilan Wiesel)....Pages 167-181 Back Matter ....Pages 183-202