The inaugural winner of The Iremonger Award for Writing on Public Issues, this is a provocative exploration of urbanised Australia and a passionate plea for the suburbs to be given their rightful place in Australia's public consciousness.
Australia is one of the world's most urbanised nations, belying our image as a country of hard-living outback heroes and laid back sea-changers. Our future welfare is closely tied to the wellbeing of our cities and even more importantly, our suburbs. In this powerful account of the political, social, economic and environmental trends shaping Australia, Brendan Gleeson argues forcefully for the reinstatement of the city as Australia's 'national heartland'.
Australian Heartlands is a provocative examination of the health of our urban communities and their role in national life. It ranges across topics such as gated communities and the new suburban poverty sinkholes, the lost of the public domain, the experience of childhood in contemporary suburbs, environmental degradation and the challenges of migration. If you care about Australia's future, this is a book you must read.
About Brendan Gleeson
Brendan Gleeson is Professor of Urban Policy at Griffith University and a leading commentator on urban Australia. He has authored, co-authored or co-edited seven books and has written numerous opinion pieces for the Sydney Morning Herald, the Courier Mail and the Canberra Times. He lives in the Brisbane suburbs with his partner and their two children.