Migration, landscape, and culture: urban parks and Iranian immigrants in Melbourne

The thesis reviews different uses and appreciation of urban park landscapes by non-English-speaking immigrants, and develops an alternative predominant perspective of the Australian park landscape. It builds on theories of place, habitus, and landscape as cultural phenomena, and investigates new uses of park spaces by recent generations of immigrants to Australia. It questions the extent to which Australian public parks contribute to the sense of inclusivity, or alienation, experienced by non-English-speaking immigrant users of these spaces. The main focus is on the Iranian community of Melbourne, Australia, and their engagements with urban park spaces before and after migration in two different landscape contexts: Iran and Australia. The research explores the Iranian-Australians understanding of urban parks and their natural and cultural landscapes and includes a range of experiences of these environments in Iran and Australia (Melbourne). The approach acknowledges past studies and explores Iranian views of the interrelationship between people and the physical environment and how these contrast with Australian attitudes.<br>