End of the line?

摘要

A decade of shifting economic fortunes and political agendas has left the urban fabric of Newcastle in a state of decline. Now, a contentious piece of railway line looks set to hijack the debate surrounding desperately needed urban renewal funds. In the first of a series of articles, Michael McPherson explains why Newcastle is both a test case and a dire warning for the future urban renewal in regional centres.rnIn 1988, a section of heavy rail line was removed from Newcastle's central business district as part of a bicentennial project to redevelop disused industrial land on the harbour into parkland. Local, State and Federal Governments worked together to see through one of the most significant urban renewal exercises in the city's history. In today's parlance it would be proclaimed as a 'catalyst' project.