Developing policy for Australia's small towns: from anthropology to sustainability

Two approaches to learning about the structure and function of Australia's small towns are discussed in this paper: the community studies approach, which has a deep understanding of the forces operating within local communities but lacks a strong policy perspective; and the sustainability based approach, which focuses on economic, social and environmental dimensions to resources in small towns but lacks a deep behavioural context. The paper argues that an integration of these complementary approaches can enhance understanding of the dynamics of small towns and lead to better management and more effective sustainability policies.