Abstract

Industrial decline has had severe impacts for cities across the globe, resulting in massive job losses, urban decay, and high rates of crime, poverty and unemployment. Deindustrialisation can erode senses of civic pride, place attachment and individual and community well-being. As researchers, we are interested in how different cities have dealt with the economic, social and cultural changes brought about by deindustrialisation. In particular, we are curious about the role that popular music history and heritage might play in the revitalisation of these cities. Sounds of Our Town: The Wollongong Edition features: a transcript of a radio interview the research team did with Lindsay McDougall; a transcript of a public event we held in Wollongong with heritage experts and practitioners; and written pieces by two of our community-based research partners, Jez Collins (founder of Birmingham Music Archive) and Carleton Gholz (founder of Detroit Sound Conservancy.