Inner urban conservation and development - An independent panel report on a proposal for Smith Street, Collingwood, under Melbourne 2030. Edited by Miles Lewis, August 2004. Info + Order your copy
CAG 2030 Report Launch - 16 August
Rod Quantock and Mary Kenneally launch a bunch of opinions on Melbourne 2030.
On Monday 16 August at 12.30pm in Fitzroy’s Smith Street, comedian and activist Rod Quantock and writer/performer Mary Kenneally will launch a publication of expert opinions on Melbourne 2030, the Victorian government’s urban planning blueprint.
High profile academics and influential planning experts have contributed to the independently published report, Inner Urban Conservation and Redevelopment, commissioned by Melbourne University’s architectural elder, Professor Miles Lewis.
The fourteen experts have raised serious concerns about a development proposal in Smith Street, the artery linking Collingwood and Fitzroy, designated under Melbourne 2030 as an ‘activity centre’ ripe for high density residential and commercial development.
Professor Miles Lewis said none of the contributors were pressured to reach a “unified position”, but each expressed “concerns, of one sort or another, about the current situation”.
He said they collectively see debate about the proposed Smith Street development as a “major test case” under Melbourne 2030, which has the potential to benchmark inner city development.
The independent report fuels recent publicity about planning controversies across Melbourne, triggered by the revival of resident groups emerging to fight ‘over development’.
At the launch, Rod Quantock and Mary Kenneally will provide some colour to the thorny issue of local planning vision and—god forbid—what we like about shopping.
They may even pose questions about who owns the debate.
Serious stuff.
Posted by Editor