Elizabeth Farrelly

An award-winning writer, columnist, critic, academic, broadcaster, public intellectual and former political candidate. Dr Elizabeth Farrelly is trained in architecture and philosophy.

She is a former City of Sydney Councillor, former Director of the National Trust NSW, occasional academic and author of several books including Bubberland; the Dangers of Happiness and Killing Sydney; the fight for a city’s soul (2021). She is currently presenter of The Sydneyist on Eastside Radio and columnist for ArchitectureAU and for The Saturday Paper. Trained in architecture and philosophy, she is a former City of Sydney Councillor, former Director of the National Trust NSW, occasional academic and author of several books including Bubberland; the Dangers of Happiness and Killing Sydney; the fight for a city’s soul (2021). She is currently presenter of The Sydneyist on Eastside Radio and columnist for ArchitectureAU and for The Saturday Paper.

Elizabeth trained in architecture and philosophy, practiced in London and Bristol and holds a PhD in urbanism from the University of Sydney, where she is also a former Adjunct Associate Professor.

As an independent Sydney City Councillor (1991-95), Elizabeth initiated Sydney’s first heritage and laneway protection policies, and was inaugural chair of the Australia Award for Urban Design (1998). She was also Manager Special Projects at the City of Sydney during the Olympic preparations (1998-2000) and is an award-winning writer and published author.

Elizabeth holds a number of national and international writing awards. As Assistant Editor of The Architectural Review (London) Elizabeth edited the August 1986 special issue ‘The New Spirit’, which won the Paris-based CICA award for architectural criticism. Her other awards including the Pascall Prize, the Walter Burley Griffin Award, the Adrian Ashton Award and the Marion Mahony Griffin Award.

Her books include Three Houses, a monograph on 2003 Pritzker prizewinner Glenn Murcutt (1993); Blubberland; the dangers of happiness (2007), which was shortlisted for the Walkley Non-Fiction Book award, Potential Difference (2011), a collection of essays and Talking of Michelangelo; a life in rooms.

An articulate, interesting and engaging speaker, Elizabeth Farrelly is skilled at making complex issues accessible to diverse audiences both in Australia and overseas.