Enough Is Enough: Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Living Heritage and the (Re)Shaping of Built Environment Design Education in Australia

This chapter explores the critical importance of ethical Indigenous knowledge engagement in the knowing of living heritage landscapes and their associated built environment education, and professional practices across Australia. Recent pedagogical research undertaken by the authors across all Australian universities that teach in the built environment disciplines of architecture, planning and landscape architecture has revealed a lack of understanding of Indigenous knowledges in these professionally accredited courses (Jones et. al. 2013, 2017; Tucker et. al. 2016). We argue that the ethical incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems, through teaching strategies that are developed in partnership with Indigenous stakeholders, will contribute to scaffolding a transformation in intercultural built environment education in Australia, along with prospective changes to professional institute education policies (AACA/AIA 2012; AILA 2016; PIA 2016). Such genuine collaboration with Indigenous partners is necessary to ensure that Indigenous perspectives of ‘Country’ and living heritage are clearly understood and experienced by built environment students at the formal academic and professional career-building stages of their lifelong learning. Critically, this paper presents new ways of approaching Australian built environment education and practice, using environmental design relevant exemplars, that can elevate and progress Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. This research and associated applied practice contributes to a growing body of international literature indicating the potential of Indigenous pedagogy and epistemologies within the tertiary education and professional practice context.