This course provides students with an overview of the theory and practice of heritage planning. Focused
predominately within NSW and metropolitan Sydney, the course will, however, explore heritage planning in Australia
at World, National, State and Local levels.
By undertaking Heritage Planning you will develop your appreciation and understanding of the physical and nonphysical
aspects of Australia’s heritage. The course will provide you with an introduction to the various statues that
apply to heritage within Australia and NSW. During the first half of the semester, we will cover the history of heritage
conservation in Australia, including the ICOMOS Burra Charter, and how heritage is identified, assessed and
managed at World, National, Commonwealth, and State and Local levels. Following mid-semester break, our focus
shifts and we concentrate on different aspects of our heritage including; cultural landscapes, Aboriginal and settler
archaeology, built heritage, cultural landscapes, interpretation and intangible values. Throughout the course you will
learn from experienced professionals working in the public and private sectors. They will present various disciplinary
perspectives including archaeology, architecture and landscape architecture. The guest lecturers will talk about their
‘real life’ experience of working in heritage in the context of the legislation and urban development in Sydney and
elsewhere.
Drawing on this professional experience, the course will canvass some of the different approaches to understanding
heritage and conservation. Many of these approaches are political and official, involving governments at international,
national, state and local levels. They are also formal and involve statutory planning processes such as identification,
assessment, listing via planning instruments and heritage registers, and provisions for permits and applications. In
each case, the approaches, solutions and outcomes for heritage projects vary based on political will, economic
issues, the formal protective mechanisms, professional judgments, subjectivity and community values.
The primary aim of the course is to ensure that as future professionals in the fields of urban planning, architecture and
landscape architecture, you develop a sound understanding of the theoretical, legislative, administrative and practical
aspects of heritage conservation that is grounded in ‘real world experience’. This, in turn, will enable you to gain an
understanding of how heritage and the values attributed to it change through time and reflect how we see ourselves
as a nation, a state, a community and as individuals.
