Sydney is changing fast, and with it, a sense of belonging slips away. As Karina shares in her opinion section on this page, there is a sense of saudade, a Portuguese longing for a world that can’t be reclaimed. (For a sense of the word in your bones, listen to Cesaria Evora’s Saudade, it’s spot on.)
Large-scale developments like Stockland’s Waterloo South project highlight the stakes (front page). Consultation with tenants and local groups will shape the project, but redevelopments like this risk erasing the character and memory that give neighbourhoods their soul.
Yet amid change, art offers hope. Community initiatives like the Field Rooms in Waterloo (front page again) prove connection, music, creativity, and shared experiences can thrive, even in transforming spaces.
Sydney may lose parts of its history, but through art, creativity, and community, its spirit endures – and belonging can be rebuilt.
