In Melbourne’s inner-eastern suburbs, where established character and green streets predominate the urban language, the Main Drive Kew reconstruction is a striking illustration of how modern urban architecture can make peace with a complex and occasionally challenging past (Walker Corp n.d.). The precinct’s makeover is as much a social and cultural reckoning as it is an exercise in architectural and urban regeneration, as it is situated on the site of the former Kew Cottages, an institution that was formerly at the heart of Victoria’s approach to disability care.