Campaign to save Queensland Uni s union complex cuts through
Independent Australia
11 Jul 2021, 16:52 GMT+10
Queensland University has dropped a plan to demolish its student area and take it over as an enterprise hub, which may be a sign that universities are pulling back on excessive campus-building, writes Dr Lee Duffield.
STRANGE THINGS are happening in Australian universities when a campaign by students, staff and citizens can head off one of their mega-building plans - but this may have happened at The University of Queensland (UQ) in the past few months.
Two years ago a neoliberal regime there was preparing to invest big in the St Lucia campus, with two built-up hubs to frame the famous art deco sandstone facade. Spreading out, the university would buy up neighbouring suburbs and even erect a bridge across the Brisbane River to take part in gentrifying the long-time university dormitory zone called West End.