The December 6 edition

Not long ago, I saw an old photo of a Sydney city street during a World War II V-Day parade. I was immediately struck by the grand old  buildings in the image and how unfamiliar the street looked. The reason? Because none of those buildings are there today. Melbourne, meanwhile, has done a  much better job when it comes to preserving heritage architecture but it,  too, has not been immune to the developer’s bulldozer. That is why I was intrigued to hear that a backlash against modernism, and a push to restore classical architecture and streetscapes in Europe to their former glory, is making inroads here in  Australia, too. In this issue, Greg Callaghan traces the origins of this movement and how it is impacting the Australian architectural scene. While there is no dispute we have failed to protect a lot of heritage buildings, I am also a big fan of the brutalist and modernist movements. Let’s hope any pro-classical push does not result in the  loss of other important structures. Finding the right balance between preservation and progress is a challenge – and not one we have always mastered. – Melissa Stevens, editor