Ms Elizabeth Vines is an award winning conservation architect, urban designer, author and experienced public speaker. She is an Adjunct Professor at the Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia & the Pacific, Faculty of Arts, Deakin University, Melbourne. She undertook her honours degree in architecture at Melbourne University and Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. She is a partner in the firm McDougall & Vines, an Adelaide based practice which has built up extensive experience and a record of achievement in conservation architecture and heritage town rejuvenation throughout Australia and Asia. Elizabeth consults to a wide range of Government authorities and local councils throughout the region, and is a consultant to UNESCO and the World Bank. She works on urban revitalisation and cultural tourism programs for historic precincts and restoration projects on significant historic buildings. Elizabeth is committed to the practical reuse, improvement and rejuvenation of town centres and historic buildings. She has written many publications including Streetwise (1996), which has been sequelled by Streetwise Asia in 2005 (a publication supported by the World Bank, UNESCO and Deakin University), which is to be translated into Chinese in 2007. She is the author of the UNESCO Manual on Culture Heritage Management and Tourism in preparation, and due for completion at the end of 2007. - She is a passionate advocate for heritage conservation issues and has with Australind and UNESCO, established the Streetwise Asia Fund to assist conservation projects in Asia. Donations over $2.00 are tax deductible and details about the funds objectives and operations can be obtained through the Streetwise Asia Fund information pamphlet. All proceeds from the Streetwise Asia publication are being donated to this fund.

Elizabeth has had nearly 30 years of experience in all aspects of architecture, including heritage conservation, heritage precinct planning, urban design, domestic and commercial projects. Her work which specialises in heritage and townscapes contexts, commenced in Victoria in Maldon in 1977 (Australia's first declared "Notable" town) and projects have been located in cities and towns throughout Australia and Asia since that time.

With her practice McDougall & Vines, she has been the project architect for numerous award winning conservation and restoration projects on significant historic buildings in Asia and throughout Australia. These include the Hong Kong Synagogue, heritage advisor for the Hong Kong Star Ferry terminal, consultant architect for the heritage buildings at the University of Adelaide and Hong Kong and many other projects throughout Australia. These include the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery (in a conserved heritage building), the conservation and redevelopment of the Leigh Street, in Adelaide, Bonython Hall, University of Adelaide, and numerous historic buildings in Adelaide and throughout Australia.