Comment – heritage.city by james lesh

Melbourne, Sydney, and the Population Prize

24 April 2023 admin Comment

You’ve probably heard that Melbourne has overtaken Sydney as Australia’s most populous city. This demographic milestone has come about earlier than predicted due to the re-drawing of statistical boundaries, somewhat deflating the weightiness of this momentous moment. But Melbourne overtaking Sydney in population terms is still history making. Since Sydney first overtook Melbourne in population around 1901, both cities have swelled ten-fold to almost 5-million people today. These evolutions speak to enduring contests around cities and rivalries.

Frozen in time, we’ve become blind to ways to build sustainability into our urban heritage

29 September 2022 admin Comment

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.

Establishing Australia’s Heritage Mafia

14 September 2022 admin Comment

How was Australia’s heritage mafia established? To answer, let’s unpack urban heritage in 1990s Australia.

Conserving Melbourne’s creative heritage: The Nicholas Building

19 January 2022 admin Comment

In mid-2021, the owners of the historic Nicholas Building in the heart of Melbourne put the landmark on the market.

Slave names have no place in modern Melbourne

2 December 2021 admin Comment

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.

War on the demolishers? Probably not, and timing of NSW heritage review is curious

25 May 2021 admin Comment

The New South Wales government has released a discussion paper expressing its ambition to review and “modernise” the Heritage Act (1977).

Stuck in the past: why Australian heritage practice falls short of what the public expects

2 March 2021 admin Comment

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.

This symbol of the past must also reflect our present and future

12 November 2020 admin Comment

The Royal Exhibition Building could be a key historic landmark of post-pandemic Melbourne.

Eastern Freeway: A Heritage Commentary

22 September 2020 admin Comment

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”.

Award for Public Space and Cultural Heritage Advocacy At Fed Square

14 July 2020 admin Awards, Comment

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.