not just sorry, but thanks. an investigation into colonialism within Sydney’s Built Environment

Abstract

‘Not just sorry, but thanks’ finds its genesis in Bruce Pascoe’s work Dark Emu where he writes: “It seems improbable that a country can continue to hide from the actuality of its history in order to validate the fact that having said sorry, we refuse to say thanks” (2014:228) and is an acknowledgment of the failure of architectural practice and education to face its role in the continuation of colonialism in Australia. This work focuses on identifying how architecture and urban planning processes challenge or embed colonial forces within the city of Sydney. Australia’s settler colonialism is identified as ongoing, and manifested through physical and structural ways. This thesis explores this manifestation in three areas: architectural policy and accreditation; architectural education; and architectural practice on an urban and public scale. Processes that embed settler colonialism can be identified by their silence and omission; as such, they represent a ‘business-as-usual’ response. Settler colonialism relies on silence and omission to remain invisible, wherein it holds its power. Thus, policy, education and practices that do not actively acknowledge colonialism and its damage to the First Peoples of Australia can be classified as ‘embedding’. Processes that challenge settler colonialism can be identified by their engagement with First Peoples’ communities and culture. Theses are policies, educational programmes and architectural practices led by First Peoples and/or those which highlight and celebrate First Peoples’ knowledge, voices and cultures. This thesis consists of synthesised theoretical writings, interviews and conversations, data collection, and cartographic exercises. The outcomes of this thesis are contained in three chapters exploring existence and evolution of settler colonialism in Australia and the built environment, the specific manifestations in Sydney, and finally, a series of visual essays performed as conversations to provoke discussions about the role of the architect and the ways in which settler colonialism can be unsettled. Participatory processes and co-design methodologies are employed to ensure the outcome evolves from an ongoing conversation with First Peoples.