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Fed Square and Advertising: Finding the Right Balance
How do heritage places manage advertising? James Lesh on recent debates at Fed Square.
2 days ago2 min read
Housing and Queer Heritage: In the media
James Lesh on Repurposing Old Large Heritage Buildings and the exemplary LGBTQIA+ Oxford Street, Sydney Heritage Study.
Apr 102 min read
What does the Queen Victoria Market mean to Melbourne?: In the Media
Dr James Lesh spoke with ABC Radio Melbourne's The Conversation Hour, hosted by Richelle Hunt, about the Queen Vic.
Mar 111 min read
Rocking Heritage and Stained Tiled Debates: In the Media
James Lesh has rocked heritage and discussed stained tiles in public space in recent media interviews.
Feb 132 min read
A single sentence cannot get a house heritage protected, but that doesn’t mean Boroondara has done everything right by its local heritage
While it might make an irresistible newspaper headline, a single sentence cannot get a house heritage protected.
Aug 30, 20243 min read
Values in Cities: Urban Heritage in Twentieth-Century Australia: Book Published
James Lesh's 'Values in Cities: Urban Heritage in Twentieth-Century Australia' a new book, has been released.
Jun 20, 20243 min read
Planning, Housing, Pubs: In the Media
Over recent months, I’ve provided expert commentary to media outlets in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide .
Apr 11, 20241 min read
Abandoned Buildings and Heritage Places
Restore, rebuild or raze? Debate rages over the fate of our grand old buildings!
Aug 10, 20231 min read
We must protect Melbourne’s 20th-century heritage – here’s how to do it right
The City of Maribyrnong has abandoned its local heritage protections for interwar and postwar housing in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Why?
Jul 14, 20234 min read
YIMBYs and NIMBYs unite! You can have both heritage protection and more housing
Heritage conservation has been blamed for making the housing crisis worse by standing in the way of new, higher-density housing. But protecting heritage and increasing housing should be complementary objectives.
Jul 11, 20234 min read
Adaptive reuse, sustainability, slavery: In the Media
A run down of recent media with James Lesh. Includes discussions of "Moreland" place name and heritage & sustainability.
Nov 30, 20221 min read
Frozen in time, we’ve become blind to ways to build sustainability into our urban heritage
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.
Sep 29, 20224 min read
Establishing Australia’s Heritage Mafia
How was Australia's heritage mafia established? To answer, let's unpack urban heritage in 1990s Australia.
Sep 15, 20225 min read
Heritage Conservation Histories: PlanningxChange: In The Media
In this episode, PlanningxChange delves into the history of heritage conservation in Australia.
Feb 22, 20221 min read
Slave names have no place in modern Melbourne
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.
Dec 2, 20213 min read
War on the demolishers? Probably not, and timing of NSW heritage review is curious
The New South Wales government has released a discussion paper expressing its ambition to review and “modernise” the Heritage Act (1977).
May 26, 20215 min read
Corkman, Heritage Inspirations and Fed Square: In the Media
Corkman Pub, now demolished A few media interviews for radio, print and podcasts: ‘People-Centred Heritage Conservation’, ABC Radio, 11...
May 3, 20211 min read
Stuck in the past: why Australian heritage practice falls short of what the public expects
If communities dont understand and support local heritage protections, perhaps thats a reflection on how the system works.
Mar 2, 20214 min read
Towers, freeways, green bans: In the Media
Media interviews on towers in Melbourne, the Eastern Freeway, and Jack Mundey.
Nov 30, 20201 min read
Royal Exhibition Building: This symbol of the past must also reflect our present and future
The Royal Exhibition Building could be a key historic landmark of post-pandemic Melbourne.
Nov 13, 20203 min read
Award for Public Space and Cultural Heritage Advocacy At Fed Square
James Lesh wins award with Citizens for Melbourne for Our City, Our Square campaign from Australian Institute of Architects.
Jul 14, 20203 min read
Why heritage protection is about how people use places, not just their architecture and history
Social value and people-centred heritage has evolved to become more central to conservation practice.
Jul 9, 20205 min read
Treasury Square: One of Melbourne's worst planning mistakes at risk of being repeated
A development proposal for the Jolimont railyards has the potential to be one of the biggest planning mistakes in Melbourne in a generation.
Jul 3, 20205 min read
Our cities owe much of their surviving heritage to Jack Mundey
Jack Mundey, who has died at the age of 90, was a pioneer of the Australian heritage movement.
May 12, 20206 min read
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