a blog on urban history and heritage conservation.
Adopting new perspectives won’t only preserve our historic buildings and places by enabling us to shape them for today’s needs. It will also mean urban heritage can contribute to cities becoming more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.
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In mid-2021, the owners of the historic Nicholas Building in the heart of Melbourne put the landmark on the market.
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The City of Moreland in Melbourne’s inner north is named after the late 18th-century Jamaican slave plantation of the McCrae family. Including the suburbs of Brunswick, Coburg and Pascoe Vale, the municipality’s name valorises slavery and colonialism. Moreland’s councillors are considering a new name for the local government area after being made aware of the links.
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The New South Wales government has released a discussion paper expressing its ambition to review and “modernise” the Heritage Act (1977).
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If communities don’t understand and support local heritage protections, perhaps that’s a reflection on how the system works and not just evidence of a need for public education.
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The Royal Exhibition Building could be a key historic landmark of post-pandemic Melbourne.
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With its latest determination on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway, it would seem that the Heritage Council is sending a message to the Victorian heritage sector: “evidence needed”.
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In early 2018, I co-founded Citizens for Melbourne and we launched the ‘Our City, Our Square – for Fed Square, not Apple Square’ campaign. Our team was awarded The Bates Smart Award for Architecture in Media (Advocacy Award), Victorian Architecture Awards, Australian Institute of Architects, 2020.
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The Heritage Council of Victoria is accepting public submissions for a potential heritage listing of Federation Square. Here’s my response.
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