In 1972 artist Robert Ingpen, writing of Swan Hill’s Pioneer Folk Museum, suggested that “seeing how our forebears lived, we discover how they fitted themselves into the new land and established a balance which we must maintain for the sake of future generations.” For fifty years, the Museum has been a key element of the...

The Canterbury earthquakes of 2010-2012 have trigged a reappraisal of building policy and regulation – both for new buildings and existing buildings. This reappraisal is influenced by the recommendations of the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission and currently being implemented by the earthquake-prone policy review of the Building Act 2004.

Change has engulfed the coastal fringe of Australia. In balancing the built and natural environment, community needs, cultural significance and economic sustainability, planners aim to improve quality of life and create vibrant communities. Yet managing place change, particularly in coastal areas, is fraught with tensions. Most planning discussions about the rapidity of change, the impact...