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Keep up to date. Our blog includes insights, articles, media and research.
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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
An introduction to 'Heritage Cities'
What does heritage mean for cities? This introductory article provides some guidance. Have a listen to the associated podcast too.
Oct 1, 20201 min read
‘Questioning the Consensus? Urban Conservation in 1990s Sydney and Melbourne
James Lesh will be speaking at a virtual seminar in the UK.
Jul 13, 20202 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
A post-punk house in Richmond: in excess
Exploring a heritage-house in Richmond, which featured in the film Dogs in Space.
Mar 31, 20201 min read
Victoria’s Queer History with the Australian Queer Archive (AQuA), Heritage Victoria, and the University of Melbourne
James Lesh hosts a panel discussion on Victoria's Queer Heritage, with Heritage Victoria, ALGA and Melbourne University.
Jan 5, 20201 min read
High-Rise Heritage in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth
This article examines three Australian skyscrapers: MLC Centre in Sydney (1977), Rialto Towers, Melbourne (1986), and Bond Tower (1988).
Dec 2, 20191 min read
The National Estate and Australian heritage policy
James Lesh examines Australian national heritage policy in this academic article.
Nov 30, 20191 min read
City Life: The New Urban Australia: Seamus O’Hanlon: Book Review
James Lesh reviews City Life: The New Urban Australia by Seamus O’Hanlon: Book Review.
Aug 9, 20193 min read
Historians, places and the past: Discussion Panel
Come along for a seminar on the role of historians in place-making and heritage projects.
Apr 14, 20192 min read
Flammable cladding and building standards in the city
Failures of historical proportions have led to the flammable cladding crisis in Melbourne.
Mar 25, 20194 min read
Cremorne Pleasure Gardens in Melbourne, Australia
James Lesh studies the top leisure attraction in early colonial Melbourne.
Feb 11, 20191 min read
Federation Square heritage council submission
James Lesh's submission to the Fed Square Heritage Council hearing.
Dec 15, 201810 min read
City Dreamers: The Urban Imagination in Australia: Graeme Davison: Book Review
James Lesh reflects on the career of historian Graeme Davison in his review of City Dreamers: The Urban Imagination in Australia.
Nov 16, 20184 min read
Heritage preservation, urban transformation and everyday life in the twentieth-century Australian city: Seminar
A seminar on the history of Australian heritage conservation.
Jun 7, 20182 min read
Conservation Echoes in East Melbourne: A Walking Tour
Tracing a 1964 Heritage Itinerary!
Apr 19, 20181 min read
Rainbow Jews and LGBTQ Heritage in the UK and London
James Lesh contributed to a major project exploring Jewish LGBTQ heritage in the United Kingdom, particularly London.
Feb 10, 20181 min read
Satirising the Australian City: Bruce Petty
A reflection on Bruce Petty's contribution to the Australian urban imagination.
Dec 3, 20163 min read
Preserving cities: how 'trendies' shaped Australia' urban heritage
In the 1960s-70s, the so-called 'trendies' changed how we think about inner suburban Australian heritage.
Nov 4, 20164 min read
Sketching the National Trust of Victoria at 60 years
An exploration of 60 Years of the National Trust in Victoria.
Oct 18, 20168 min read
Brisbane and Gold Coast urban heritage in the early 1970s (and today)
James Lesh explores community heritage voices in Queensland in the 1970s.
Oct 5, 20164 min read
What is Urban History?: Shane Ewen: Book Review
James Lesh positively reviews the new survey text of urban history by Shane Ewen.
Sep 20, 20164 min read
Lockout laws repeat centuries-old mistake of denying value of cities as messy places
Sydney’s lockout laws, as well as current and proposed restrictions in other Australian cities including Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Newcastle, are perhaps more about regulating people’s behaviours in cities than about liquor licensing.
Jun 7, 20164 min read
Rialto Towers and the future of Melbourne, 1970s-80s
The 1980s Rialto Towers was a game-changer for skyscrapers, development and heritage in Melbourne.
Mar 11, 20161 min read
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