James Lesh is a heritage researcher, writer and consultant. His blog is heritage.city.
James is available for private consulting, public commentary and speaking engagements: please get in touch.
James is based at the University of Melbourne in The Australian Centre for Architectural History, Urban and Cultural Heritage (ACAHUCH), Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning.
His work examines twentieth- and twenty-first century Australian urban, planning and architectural conservation theory and practice. It also considers the capacity for cultural heritage to address urban challenges, such as enhanced community participation and design outcomes, by adopting methodological pluralism and evidence-based approaches. Another area of focus is the persistent urban historical relationship between cities, modernity, development and heritage.
His writing on urban heritage topics have appeared in leading academic refereed journals including the Journal of Urban History, International Journal of Heritage Studies and Change Over Time. He authored the article on ‘Heritage Conservation’ in the Routledge Handbook of Place (2020). In his scholarly writings, he has explored, for instance, the relationship between postmodern skyscrapers and heritage conservation; the Australian heritage philosophy of the ‘National Estate’; the methodological cases for (i) the integration of public history and (ii) historical and geographic conceptions of place in urban heritage management; and, the influential idea of ‘social value’ in Australian heritage since the 1960s.
James also contributes to wider discussions around history and conservation. He has written articles and provided commentary to ABC Radio National, ABC Radio Melbourne, The Age, Herald Sun, 3AW Radio, The Conversation, Foreground, ArchitectureAU and other media outlets. He has offered urban history perspective on topics such as the Sydney lockout laws, inner-suburban trendification, and flammable cladding. He has presented heritage perspectives on Federation Square, the heritage-listing of Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway, and the illegal demolition of the historic Corkman Pub at Melbourne University. He has also delivered public talks, curated exhibitions, designed walking tours, and reviewed books and exhibitions.
Follow James on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Google Scholar, ORCID, or by subscribing to his blog heritage.city.
Research Affiliations
University of Melbourne (2020–)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Australian Centre for Architectural History, Urban and Cultural Heritage
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
University of Sydney (2019–2020)
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning
University of Melbourne (2014–2019)
Research Assistant and Sessional Lecturer and Tutor
Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
King’s College London (2016–2019)
Research Fellow
Menzies Australia Institute
Key Teaching Positions
James has coordinated and lectured postgraduate and undergraduate subjects in urban and cultural heritage and urban history. He currently teaches Principles of Heritage and Conservation, a core subject in the Master of Urban and Cultural Heritage at the University of Melbourne. Since 2017, he has also guest lectured in cultural heritage and urban and planning history at the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and Deakin University.
Qualifications
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne
Master of Arts, Queen Mary University of London
Bachelor of Arts with Honours, University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Commerce, University of Melbourne
Major prizes and awards
Australian Postgraduate Award, University of Melbourne.
Australian Bicentennial Scholarship, King’s College London.
Principal’s Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Queen Mary University of London.
AGL Shaw Summer Research Fellowship, State Library of Victoria.
Last updated: July 2020.