Dates and Times
03 August 2023
12:30 - 13:30
Location
Organiser
Centre for Cultural and Creative Research (CCCR), Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra
Speakers
Dr Rahmatollah Amirjani
Enquiry
CCCR
Event about:
Culture and Creativity seminar – Canberra, Public Housing, and The Great Australian Dream
Speaker: Dr Rahmatollah Amirjani
Date\Time: Thurs 3 Aug 2023, 12:30-1:30pm
Location: Building 2, Room 2a13, University of Canberra Bruce Campus; or Zoom https://zoom.us/j/98424803568
Abstract
In Australia, the notion of public housing was mainly introduced to battle the existing shortage of housing in capital towns. Interestingly, the provision of public housing in Canberra followed a different motivation: public housing was introduced as an inevitable core of the new capital development. Delivered by different authorities, the offered housing projects not only formed the utopian image of Canberra, but also revived a number of qualities behind the original concept of social housing; delivering a sense of dignity and superiority to people. Despite its positive legacy, public housing provision in Canberra has undergone significant changes since the turn of the twenty-first century. Given the above points, critics have been left with one major question: why has such an inspiring public housing program gradually turned into a cost-driven scheme? Using an extensive literature review, documentary research, observation, and descriptive data analysis, this research has sought to answer this question.
Bio
Rahmatollah Amirjaniis a Ph.D. and lecturer at the School of Design and Built Environment, University of Canberra (Australia) where he teaches architectural history, and housing theories. His research interest includes historiographies of modern architecture, Iranian contemporary architecture, and critical housing studies specifically focusing on the question of social housing. Amirjani’s research also investigates recent movements in the provision of affordable housing, and his current study offers a new perspective on the transition of public housing in Canberra in relation to the intensification of capitalistic tendencies at the turn of the twenty-first century.
Culture and Creativity Seminar Series is hosted by the Centre for Cultural and Creative Research (CCCR), Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra. To discover upcoming seminars, please follow us on Facebook @uccccr, or Instagram and Twitter @uc_cccr. Alternatively, join our mailing list by emailing cccr@canberra.edu.au.
Any questions and accessibility requests please contact: cccr@canberra.edu.au.
UC acknowledges the Ngunnawal people, traditional custodians of the lands where Bruce campus is situated. We wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of Canberra and the region. We also acknowledge all other First Nations Peoples on whose lands we gather.