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The suburb of Inala in south-west Brisbane has a well known reputation as an unsafe, poorer neighbourhood, occupied by many immigrant families (especially Vietnamese). This reputation of Inala as rife with poverty even attracted the SBS Documentary-makers of 'Struggle Street' to depict the supposedly hard lifestyles there, crudely referred to as "poverty porn". However, the documentary-makers were denied permits to film by both the Mayor and Premier because they felt that such a documentary would ridicule the community there (Struggle Street doco, 2016).

As a second-generation Vietnamese migrant with many social networks tied to Inala, I personally condone this decision. Despite its reputation, Inala feels very homely to me and my other Vietnamese friends. Especially at the Inala Plaza (shopping centre), many stores cater to Vietnamese interests, such as pho restaurants, with some store owners able to cope without using English. Many first-generation migrants and lower socioeconomic Australians shop at the Inala Plaza, and it has become a social hub for family/friend networks. In short, the space is dominated by "oldtimers" such as my parents (distinct group of neighbours who share familiarity and a way of life) who greet and know almost every other person who we walk past (Brown-Saracino, 2004). I do somewhat disagree with the social preservationist interpretation of an "oldtimer" as someone with a long length of residence and family ties/legacy. As demonstrated in Inala, my parents have only racial/ethnic membership and geographically rooted social networks in the area (Brown-Sacarino, 2004). Yet, I would find it difficult to claim that they are not embedded in the authentic Vietnamese community that Inala garnered rather quickly for its history.

Now, because of growing consciousness that Inala is more than it's rough reputation, it is garnering the attention of investors and gentrification.

Brown-Saracino, J. (2004). Social Preservationists and the Quest for Authentic Community. City and Community,3(2), 135-156. doi:10.1111/j.1535-6841.2004.00073.x
Struggle Street doco not wanted in Queensland, Premier says. (2016, May 18). Retrieved September 07, 2017, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-19/sbs-doco-struggle-street-not-wanted-qld-palaszczuk-mp-inala-says/7427276

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http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Inala,_Queensland

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Various real estate agents claim that Inala is bound for increasing house prices and gentrification in the near future. This is unsurprising because of the suburb's proximity to neighbouring suburbs Sherwood, Corinda and Graceville, which are undergoing large scale developments of townhouses and apartment blocks. For example, the median house price in Corinda for a 3-bedroom home is $812,453, but in Inala that price dropped massively to $360,000. Furthermore, as a poorer suburb, Inala is more highly serviced by public transport and government institutions (eg. Centrelink, Post Office, Police Desk, schools). This contributes to the rising housing prices due to convenience of facilities. Johnson’s Real Estate director Andrew Trim claims that, “Inala has a rough reputation, but I believe the area will gentrify in the coming years and values will rise – with such close proximity to the city it can’t not." (Lutton, 2017)

This attractiveness of Inala homes to gentrifiers and investors is also bound to classically displace marginalised households, which are plentiful in this working-class suburb. There is little long-term planning on how to preserve the presence of "oldtimers" in Inala, especially since many in the Vietnamese community are yet to feel the effects of this gentrification. Thus, it may be necessary for a social preservationist movement to combat the inevitable gentrification to come. After all, gentrification is an investment into the economic, political and culture future of a place, whereas social preservation invests into the past/present of a place (Brown-Saracino, 2004).

Brown-Saracino, J. (2004). Social Preservationists and the Quest for Authentic Community. City and Community,3(2), 135-156. doi:10.1111/j.1535-6841.2004.00073.x
Lutton, E. (2017, July 05). Brisbane's western suburb bargains: Why you should buy in Durack and Inala. Retrieved September 07, 2017, from https://www.domain.com.au/news/brisbanes-western-suburb-bargains-why-you-should-buy-in-darra-and-inala-20170309-guurbq/

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http://www.louvreclad.com/projects/centrelink-office-inala/

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Inala has been plagued from bad over the past few decades due to the fluctuating crime rates and the large number of government benefit-dependent residents in the area (Salt, 2012). With these unfortunate circumstances, many Brisbanites have tagged Inala with a bad name and many have steered clear of the area.

However, in recent times, many developers have moved into the area and are now planning new apartment units to be constructed around the centre of the suburb and this is slowly driving prices in the area up.  Although gentrification in Brisbane is mainly confined to inner-city suburbs at the moment, real estate agents believe that price hikes are looming in the near future for outer suburbs such as Inala, due to their large pieces of land and older home charm (Koilizos, 2015; Lutton, 2017).

It is predicted that the gentrification trend will move outwards over the years due to the growing house affordability problem in Brisbane (Iotti et al., 2015). The idea of gentrification for many is threatening to their community because it's a change they aren't ready for or wanting. Because the Australian Dream is still desired by many, the push out west to buy property has risen to keep up with the prices and this is forcing lower-income residents to move to the outskirts of the city (Iotti et al., 2015). My prediction is that apartment living is the future due to their affordability an close proximity to the CBD.

Koilizos, P. (2015). 'Suburb Gentrification'. Retrieved from http://realestatetalk.com.au/suburb-gentrification/.
Iotti, A., Steele, W., Sipe, N., Dodson, J. 2015. Housing Displacement in Australian Cities: A Brisbane Case-Study. In: Proceedings of the State of Australian Cities Conference. December 2015, Gold Coast, Australia, pp. 9–11.
Lutton, E. (2017). 'Brisbane’s western suburb bargains: Why you should buy in Darra and Inala'. Retrieved from https://www.domain.com.au/news/brisbanes-western-suburb-bargains-why-you-should-buy-in-darra-and-inala-20170309-guurbq/.
Salt, B. (2012). Retrieved from 'Magnetic force of middle-class suburban dream'. The Weekend Australian.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/magnetic-force-of-middle-class-suburban-dream/news-story/919ddc494eebd9da9af21dea9c8ee8f9

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http://www.realcommercial.com.au/for-sale/property-land+development-in-inala,+qld+4077/list-1

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Inala, for many people, especially outsiders like me, it is an unsafe, poor but culturally diverse place. Although some impressions on Inala are negative, differing from other suburbs, Inala is certainly a special and unique suburb. As we showed in the last few weeks, suburbs are undergoing development of townhouses. Suburbs are becoming more predictable and identical. Suburban residents are inevitably developing a sense of strangeness since the environment and appearance of suburbs are becoming more and more similar, especially with the increasing foreign investments and new retails that serve the new consuming culture which old small shops are being replaced by international brands such as Starbucks and H&M. As a result, the city would become monotonous and “soulless”. According to Zukin, “the soul of city is given by the diversity of building and uses as well as social diversity (2009).” In this regard, Inala is a place with the "soul" as it has its unique identities, no matter they are good or bad. However, due to the rising land value, Inala is undergoing gentrification and facing redevelopment. As old shops are replaced by new retails which serve and try to attract new communities, especially wealthier customers, old Inala residents would slowly lose their sense of belongs. The interaction and bond of communities would also be weakened. The loss of "soul" would result from the social transformation and redevelopment of Inala. I predict that although Inala might develop a new soul after the gentrification. Inala would never be the “Inala” that we knew ever again.

Zukin, S. (2009). 'Introduction The City That Lost Its Soul' in ''Naked City : The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places'. Oxford University Press.

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Gentrification: why did it happen in Inala?

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Gentrification: why did it happen in Inala?

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The idea of Gentrification is that of middle-class or higher income residents moving into lower-income areas, and rejects the suburbia lifestyle for a more modernistic lifestyle with consumption-based habits that are more or less tied to lifestyles of the city, all while kicking out the lower-income owners with no place to call home. But how does Inala, an outer-ring suburb 18 kilometres away from the centre of Brisbane, class itself as an area going through gentrification?

Although the suburb is mostly still in its original state, with many of the houses still retaining their single-story, reinforced concrete structures, which were a staple of the post-world war 2 architecture and aesthetic, the signs of gentrification can clearly be seen in the civic realm of Inala, where commercial/retail buildings and structures are getting a major facelift, and are clearly getting prepared for the change that will be coming into Inala, as seen in Brockton's image.

Looking into Inala's possible future, the wave of incoming gentrification will massively change the physical nature of Inala's built environment. Inala may follow the paths of similar suburbs that have been gentrified in the same transport corridor in the west, such as Corinda, Graceville and Sherwood, where single or double storey buildings are rapidly being replaced by 4-to-5 storey apartment blocks that intensify the closer they are to the transport station.

In my opinion, Inala is a suburb with such a strong social and cultural identity that it will take a while for it to succumb to gentrification. But due to its constant renovations and changes in the public realm and its increasing accessibility  through public transport, I believe it will soon succumb to the same fate and be replaced with higher density housing through gentrification. The most negative side effects of this change is that of the loss of Inala's cultural identity, as well as the tragic loss of Inala's lower income residents as a side effect of gentrification.

Hannigan, J. A. (1995). Gentrification. Current Sociology, 43(1), 173-182. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001139295043001014

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Brisbane’s western suburbs are now being seen as hotspots of ‘boom development’, a term which is used by realtors and developers as an area which is easy to gain profit and investment due to its location and centrality of public infrastructure/services (Lutton, 2017). Hence, suburbs like Inala and Durack are seen as prime suburbs that are “ripe for boom” due to its close location to regional cities/central business districts such as Ipswich, Springfield Lakes and to an extent, Brisbane CBD through the high connectivity of public transport or short drive from the city. The propensity for higher density development and renovation of existing houses allows the land value and property demand to increase, leading to a gentrifying neighbourhood. Considering Inala’s reputation as a somewhat unapproachable place to go to due to ethnic exclusion or that it doesn’t to those who need more variety than what’s provided in a central shopping centre which is purely uni or bimodal in terms of its ethnic influences and produce, the suburb will undergo gentrification (Lutton, 2017).

Whilst this can be seen as a good thing for property value, investment opportunities and overall revitalisation of the suburb to be more than just a place for certain socio-economic and ethnic groups to live and work in, gentrification brings along a myriad of issues. One of these issues, which I personally think and have come to believe will happen as a neighbouring resident and occasional visitor to Inala Central (Shopping Centre), is the loss of place and therein the place identity of Inala. Considering Inala is also a hub for transit or part of a major public transport route, increasing the density of the area through higher residential living or more trendy shops and thereby increase the transit-orientated development of the area may retract the resident’s interaction with the local community and historical ties. As such, parts of Inala may become a “non-place”, a term dubbed by French anthropologist Marc Auge, who delineates that a non-place is a space formed in relation to certain ends, i.e. transport, transit or leisure, and the relations that individuals have with these spaces (Greenop & Darchen, 2013). The entire suburb may not transition to this, but there is a possibility for the cultural connection to be lost and then change into a place of transience, once higher end development and mass road development and renovations are established to gentrify the area (Greenop & Darchen, 2013).

The other issue which arises from gentrification is the displacement of prior communities. I don’t think that the Vietnamese community will be displaced from the suburb, however possibly, other ethnic minorities may have to face eviction, an increase in homelessness or be coerced to sell their property by real estate agents. As such, the loss of these residents who carry a strong connection to the land, its history and the uniqueness of the place, particularly Aboriginal residents, will be lost; this loss is known as the loss of place identity (Greenop & Darchen, 2013) and is the basis of social sustainability in an area. The loss of organic place attachment with communities who are deeply-rooted in terms of familial, historical/cultural ties in Inala may be a serious issue once the gentrification process commences and this topic Is one which is considered to have a strong component in social sustainability renewal initiatives in urban planning (Greenop & Darchen, 2013).

Green, K., & Darchan, S. (2013). Brisbane’s urbanism: looking for an identity. What can we learn from Inala.. www.isocarp.net. Retrieved 11 September 2017, from http://www.isocarp.net/Data/case_studies/2315.pdf

Lutton, E. (2017). Brisbane's western suburb bargains: Why you should buy in Durack and Inala. www.domain.com.au. Retrieved 11 September 2017, from https://www.domain.com.au/news/brisbanes-western-suburb-bargains-why-you-should-buy-in-darra-and-inala-20170309-guurbq/

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https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2014-10/29/0/enhanced/webdr07/enhanced-buzz-wide-3512-1414556129-7.jpg

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https://images.realestateview.com.au/pics/319/33-hook-street-inala-qld-4077-real-estate-photo-1-large-10604319.jpg

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                                                                                          Visual Exemplification of Gentrification in Inala

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                                                                                          Visual Exemplification of Gentrification in Inala

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Below are two pictures which allow one to comprehend the gentrification in Inala. There are two sides to living in this suburb, and although the process has been a slow burn, there are very visually apparent changes.

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http://media.skateboard.com.au/forum/images/InalaWet01.JPG

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https://hd1n2hd4y-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/c_scale,w_800/post-6663.png

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http://results.ecq.qld.gov.au/elections/state/state2009/Inala/Map.png