Elizabeth Farrelly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Farrelly
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| Councillor of the City of Sydney | |
| In office 1991–1995 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Political party | Elizabeth Farrelly Independents (2022–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Independent (1991–2021, 2022) Labor (2021) |
| Residence | Homebush, New South Wales |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney (PhD) |
| Occupation | Writer and academic |
Elizabeth Margaret Farrelly was born in Dunedin, New Zealand. She is a writer, architecture critic, and speaker who lives in Sydney, Australia. She was born in New Zealand but later became an Australian citizen.
Elizabeth Farrelly often shares her ideas on important topics. These include how things look (aesthetics), what is right or wrong (ethics), and how cities and nature are designed. She also talks about society and politics. People have described her as a "Renaissance woman" because she has so many different interests and skills. In 2021, she was chosen to be on the board of the National Trust of Australia (NSW).
A painting of her by Mirra Whale was chosen as a finalist in the 2015 Archibald Prize. This is a famous art competition held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
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Education and Early Life
Elizabeth Farrelly was born in Dunedin, New Zealand. She studied to become an architect in Auckland. In 1983, she moved to London, England. She then moved to Sydney, Australia, in October 1988 and became an Australian citizen in 1991.
She has a PhD in architecture from the University of Sydney. Her research looked at the ideas and history behind how buildings were planned and controlled in Sydney's city centre from 1900 to 1960.
Career Highlights
Working as an Architect
Before becoming a well-known writer, Elizabeth Farrelly worked as an architect in London until 1988. She worked for several architecture firms in London, Auckland, and Christchurch.
Public Service and Politics
From 1991 to 1995, Elizabeth Farrelly was an independent member of the City of Sydney council. This meant she helped make decisions for the city. She was very interested in making sure the city's public spaces were good quality. She also helped judge design awards for buildings.
She ran as an independent candidate in two elections in New South Wales. In 2022, she ran for a state election in Strathfield. In 2023, she ran for the New South Wales Legislative Council.
Teaching and Sharing Knowledge
Elizabeth Farrelly has taught at several universities. These include the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales. She has also taught at the University of Technology, Sydney, and universities in Auckland and London.
She has even given her post-graduate students the task of writing for Wikipedia. She believes that Wikipedia's need for facts to be checked and published helps people learn together.
Writing and Commentary
As an architecture critic, Elizabeth Farrelly writes about buildings and city design. She believes that architecture is a very public art form. She tries to help people understand what makes good or bad design. She has written for many international magazines and journals.
She also writes for the general public about how cities are planned and built. She often focuses on Sydney. Her writings cover important social issues like city development, transport, and building rules. She also writes about environmental problems and climate change.
Her articles have appeared in newspapers like the New Zealand Herald and The Sydney Morning Herald. She wrote a weekly column for The Sydney Morning Herald until 2021. Her column ended because she ran for a political position while also writing about politics, which caused a conflict of interest. She has also written about important Australian buildings, including the Australian War Memorial and the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.
Elizabeth Farrelly has also reviewed books and exhibitions. She has been interviewed on TV and radio, including by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the BBC World Service.
Public Speaking
Elizabeth Farrelly is often asked to speak at public events. She has given talks at many conferences and festivals. Some examples include:
- Speaking about "Sydney's Working Harbour" at the Sydney Town Hall.
- Appearing at the Byron Bay Writers Festival and the Sydney Writers' Festival.
- Speaking at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas at the Sydney Opera House.
- Giving a talk at the Adelaide Festival of Ideas.
- Speaking at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for their "Art After Hours" program.
- Giving a keynote speech at the Green Buildings Conference in South Africa.
- Delivering the Utzon lecture at the University of New South Wales, where she talked about "Architecture and Morality."
Elizabeth Farrelly Independents
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Elizabeth Farrelly Independents
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| Abbreviation | EFI |
| Leader | Elizabeth Farrelly |
| Founded | November 2022 |
| Preceded by | The Open Party |
| NSW Legislative Council |
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Elizabeth Farrelly Independents is a political party that Elizabeth Farrelly started. It was created to take part in the 2023 New South Wales state election. She led the party's candidates for the New South Wales Legislative Council. The party received 1.32% of the total votes across the state.
The Sydneyist Podcast
Elizabeth Farrelly hosts a podcast series called The Sydneyist. It is broadcast on the community radio channel Eastside Radio. In this podcast, she talks to many experts and people who are involved with issues affecting the city of Sydney.
Some of the topics discussed include:
- Why a public school in Darlington, New South Wales was named the Best Building in the World in 2024.
- What Sydney can learn from how Paris deals with common city problems.
- The cutting down of many old trees at the Royal Sydney Golf Club.
- Lessons learned by young architects around the world.
The Better Cities Initiative
Elizabeth Farrelly also started The Better Cities Initiative. This group works in New South Wales and was officially registered in October 2023. It works with other foundations to improve how cities are planned and managed.
The initiative aims to solve three main problems in cities:
- Making housing affordable for everyone, including children and people with lower incomes.
- Dealing with the climate crisis.
- Building trust in democracy.
Elizabeth Farrelly believes that housing needs to be affordable for all kinds of people who live in cities. The initiative also cares about making apartments beautiful and comfortable to live in. It works to improve city policies so that cities can be fairer and more sustainable places for everyone.
Published Works
Books and Chapters
Elizabeth Farrelly has written several books and chapters in other books. These often focus on architecture, urban design, and the history of cities. Some of her contributions include:
- (1991) "Why Sydney Finds it so Hard to Shape Up," a review of planning problems in Ultimo-Pyrmont.
- (1998) "Architecture and Urban Design" in The Best of Sydney.
- (2005) "Pipedreaming the Harbour" in Sitelines: aspects of Sydney Harbour.
- (2005) "Powerhouse, Dreaming House" in Yesterday's Tomorrows: the Powerhouse Museum and its precursors.
- (2006) "Beauty, Exclusionism and Stuff; the basis of community?" in Talking about Sydney.
- (2008) "Tall Tales", about the start of high-rise buildings in Sydney, in Modern Times.
- (2008) Chapters on Sidney Nolan and "The Corner Shop" in Australian Greats.
- (2009) A chapter on Sydney in The Great Cities in History.
Awards for Writing
Elizabeth Farrelly has received several awards for her writing:
- (1991) CICA International Award for Architectural Criticism (Paris).
- (1994) & (2002) Adrian Ashton Award for Architectural Writing.
- (2001) Pascall Prize for Critical Writing.
- (2002) Marion Mahony Griffin Prize.
