I sincerely welcome our new Executive, appointed at our AGM in May. I am particularly pleased to welcome new members to the Executive - Silvia Velez from Melton City Council, Dianne Hillier from Wollongong City Council, and Kay Delahunt from Tamworth Region. Diane Tabbagh is reappointed as Chair of the ALCN and I thank her for her continued support and leadership.

The name Jane Jacobs is familiar to many of our readers.  Jacobs, who died in 2007, celebrated almost everything about cities.  Although she was born and raised amid the economic and social decline of Depression-era Scranton, Pennsylvania, Jacobs became a devoted believer in the positive potential of cities to overcome economic crises and create widespread prosperity and rich cultural experiences for all residents.