Economic Restructuring and Spatial Equity: a Case Study of Adelaide

The socio-spatial structure of modern cities is the outcome of many interrelated factors. One of these factors is the economic restructuring that is an outcome of the typical boom-bust cycles associated with modern capitalism. This paper attempts to identify the effects of recent economic restructuring on the level of socio-spatial inequality in the metropolitan local government areas of Adelaide, South Australia. Utilising census data for 1976 and 1986 the study uses correlational analysis to identify first the effects of economic restructuring on labour force status, and then extends the analysis to investigate the pattern of change in social well-being. The main finding of this study is that economic restructuring has had the hypothesised effect on both employment and social well-being within the thirty local government areas of metropolitan Adelaide. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the implications of the findings for current and future public policy. It is argued that so far Australia has been successful in avoiding the emergence of a large urban underclass, mainly due to its redistributive policies. If Australia is to avoid the emergence of this phenomena it is imperative that the problems produced by the impact of economic restructuring on the urban form are rectified through the appropriate public policies.