The making of Melbourne’s apartment culture

In the 1980s, apartment living in Melbourne was rarely aspirational. “They were flats, six-packs or twelve-packs,” recalls Jeff Provan, director and co-founder of Neometro. “People bought them until they could afford a house.”At the time, inner-city suburbs such as Fitzroy and Collingwood were defined by fading industry, low rents and a transient mix of artists, migrants and students. Apartments were functional and temporary rather than a lifestyle choice. Four decades on