The book celebrates heritage architecture in South Africa since democracy in 1994. Universal suffrage changed the face of the country in many ways, forever. The negotiated transition became a model of reconciliation and an example of an inclusive democracy. Many sites around South Africa bear powerful demonstrations of this journey. Conservation is inescapably linked to cultural values and can thus be experienced as a very emotional involvement. Drastic changes in legislation brought South Africa more in line with the world’s best practices. 66 authors contributed to this compendium of 540 pages 114 projects are presented, each one is independently evaluated by academics or fellow architects. The work of 67 practices responsible for these projects have been encapsulated The projects are illustrated with hundreds of photographs, line drawings, plans, maps and critical texts. The book benchmarks the accomplishments of architects, the construction industry, conservators, and heritage campaigners over two decades and foregrounds the significant changes in heritage studies, policy and practice. The coverage is national and comprehensive The contents are arranged geographically into chapters with six regions showcasing Cape Town and its suburbs, the Eastern Cape and Garden route, the Free State, Northern Cape and Karoo, KwaZulu – Natal, Pretoria, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, Johannesburg and its suburbs including Soweto and Benoni. Each chapter is preceded by an introduction and a focus area. The latter highlights the region’s most important urban preservation space. Topics covered include conservation, heritage legislation, competitions, historicist restorations and reconstruction, documentation, contemporary insertions and extensions, transformations and rehabilitation and urban conservation.