For what shall it profit a city if it loses its civic soul? A plea to preserve Melbourne’s Fed Square

For 150 years Melburnians dreamed of a square, a great ceremonial space where people could relax, celebrate, protest or simply enjoy the company of their fellow citizens.

• Graeme Davison
• The Conversation

They had a word for their dream – a civic square.

The word “civic” means “of the city” or “belonging to the citizens”.

What they wanted was not a market, a park, an arena or a mall – Melbourne had plenty of those – but a grand piazza where people met and celebrated their identity as citizens.

It would be Melbourne’s agora or forum, a place for conversation, relaxation and…

• For what shall…