Year 11 Geography Explore their Urban Environment

The Year 11 Geography class became tourists in their own town as they met with local expert Athol Parks from City Walks Dunedin at Vogel Street where they learned about how a once thriving industrial zone became a deserted street, which was later revitalised by musicians and artists. It served as a launching pad for considering how other areas in our city can possibly be improved or enhanced in order to change the way we perceive and interact with our local urban environment. After listening to our Ōtepoti orator and enjoying some much-needed warm beverages at the cafe, we headed to the city centre to hear from locals about their views. The students interviewed passersby to hear what they believed were Ōtepoti’s successes and failures. Back at the classroom, students collated and processed the data for our internal assessment. It was interesting to see some of the trends and themes such as concerns over South Dunedin’s flooding while others commend community-enhancing events such as Polyfest, Midwinter Carnival and rugby games. The students will present their findings and draw conclusions about how we can improve our city.