City life
The radical ideas to stop the bulldozing of Melbourne’s public housing towers
Architects and students have dozens of ideas of how Melbourne’s public housing towers can be revitalised and saved.
- by Tom Cowie and Rachael Dexter
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Courts
Inside Melbourne’s ‘graffiti war’ and the crew that took police 20 years to crack
To some, it’s art. To others, a blight on the city. Decades after “Stan”, “Meow”, “Renks”, “Karl” and “Bonez” tagged trains and landmarks around Melbourne, the law has caught up with one of the 70K crew’s chiefs.
- by David Estcourt
The Australian city with a better quality of life than Sydney or Melbourne
An international comparison of 1000 cities shows Melbourne ahead of Sydney as the place to be. But one city has a much better quality of life than either.
- by Shane Wright
Where are the kids? The Melbourne suburbs facing a child exodus
Established suburbs like Kew and Hawthorn have plenty of schools and green space – but they are not where families are moving.
- by Cara Waters
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Cladding crisis
High hopes, low quality: special levies and repairs plague new apartment owners
Cracks, leaks, and cladding – there are hidden dangers in Australia’s new apartments, and it’s costing owners thousands.
- by Melissa Cunningham
Fledgling soccer club seeks net gain from suburb built around stadium
A rollcall of Australian sporting stars has invested in the project, such as AFL greats Adam Goodes and Scott Pendlebury and tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis.
- by Adam Carey
They call it ‘MoPo’: Dame Edna’s hidden gem of the north is changing
Even the concreted-over creek is being brought back to life as Moonee Ponds ascends into the sky.
- by Rachael Dexter
‘The Opera House of service stations’: Heritage plan for West Gate canopies
The sails on the West Gate service stations are set to be protected by a heritage overlay after the canopies were found to be of local significance.
- by Cara Waters
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Twenty years and counting: The suburb waiting for a rail line that may never come
For 24 years, residents in these booming fringe suburbs have waited for a train line, but a VCAT dispute could halt the project before it even begins.
- by Adam Carey
Opinion
Opinion
I’m returning to the game of my youth and I’m hoping not to break a leg. Or maybe I am
I love my team and, good news, I don’t have to play centre or wear one of those short pleated skirts. But I am a bit scared of players who try to gain an advantage by slapping their opponents.
- by Carolyn Webb
They sold the bike to pay for their dad’s funeral. But 12 years later, it came back
It was one of those ideas families talk about but don’t often carry out. If they could make it work, it would end years of regret.
- by Tom Cowie