America’s historic seaports have special challenges when it comes to sustainability. Issues related to environmental sustainability, such as sea-level rise and ... more

America’s historic seaports have special challenges when it comes to sustainability. Issues related to environmental sustainability, such as sea-level rise and and pressures of tourism on the long-term stewardship of historic resources must be balanced with planning and economic objectives that promote responsible development. One of America's premier historic cities, a top tourism destination and Main Street community, Annapolis, Maryland is regularly threatened by nuisance flooding that will increase as climate change causes the Chesapeake Bay sea level to rise. The State of Maryland, at the forefront of planning for climate change, compiles and regularly updates sea-level rise projections, but funding the necessary design solutions and public improvements is the next step. In Charleston, expanding cruise ship tourism jeopardizes historic downtown Charleston and its surrounding neighborhoods. But heritage tourism is an essential industry sustaining Charleston's economy and citywide preservation efforts. This session will explore how communities can find a balanced solution that benefits the local economy while protecting and sustaining a city's rich cultural heritage.

Instructors:

Lisa Craig

Katharine Robinson

This panel discussion will challenge the audience to analyze the relationship between the preservation of culture and the physical environment. Using Isle Roya ... more

This panel discussion will challenge the audience to analyze the relationship between the preservation of culture and the physical environment. Using Isle Royale National Park as a case study, panelists will raise intriguing questions about the connection between people and place in a remote wilderness setting.

Instructors:

Carla Anderson

This interactive panel session will share the Trail Town Program’s model for economic and community revitalization using towns along the Great Allegheny Passage ... more

This interactive panel session will share the Trail Town Program’s model for economic and community revitalization using towns along the Great Allegheny Passage rail trail to demonstrate how historic preservation supports economic, environmental and cultural sustainability. Highlighting the importance of connecting town and trail, this session will inspire attendees and show them how they can use preservation strategies to develop and sustain communities that are places where today’s preservationists want to live, work, and play. By leveraging their historic assets, Trail Towns are experiencing economic growth, supporting resource conservation, and enjoying an improved quality of life.

Instructors:

Erin Hammerstedt

William Prince

Linda Boxx

Working on a large landscape scale is an emerging strategy that works across jurisdictional boundaries on both private and public lands to undertake multi-objec ... more

Working on a large landscape scale is an emerging strategy that works across jurisdictional boundaries on both private and public lands to undertake multi-objective partnerships to achieve land and water conservation and natural resource management. The landscape approach has much to offer for the preservation of cultural practices and historic resources. This half-day (3 hour) workshop will engage the preservation community in the vision, principles, and practice of this approach and offer an interactive format to share best practices in collaborative management. The workshop will also provide an opportunity for the cultural community to shape the new landscape movement and develop working partnerships with environmental organizations. Modeled after a similar workshop at the 2011 Land Trust Rally, the faculty will include national leaders in the field of large landscape management and will feature leaders of model projects in the Northwest.

Instructors:

Robert Pirani

Did you know that 95% of all existing commercial buildings in America are smaller than 50,000 square feet? The Preservation Green Lab is launching a resource to ... more

Did you know that 95% of all existing commercial buildings in America are smaller than 50,000 square feet? The Preservation Green Lab is launching a resource toolkit, intended to increase rates of building preservation and adaptive use for older, smaller buildings. Preservationists can apply these resources to substantially improve building performance and generate additional project cash-flow and financing. Developed in partnership with the New Buildings Institute, one of these tools helps owners and operators unlock substantial energy savings in existing buildings. See a demonstration of this new software and how it can be used to save energy and money.

Instructors:

Gavin Gardi

Contamination issues often hold up rehabilitation and reuse of historic buildings. Come see outstanding examples of Spokane's commitment to preserving these gem ... more

Contamination issues often hold up rehabilitation and reuse of historic buildings. Come see outstanding examples of Spokane's commitment to preserving these gems of community history and reclaiming land for new uses. Visit once-derelict railyards on the banks of the Spokane River that became the site for the 1974 Worlds Fair and a municipal steam plant that now houses a brewery and restaurant. Learn about the challenges as well as brownfield funding strategies and partnerships that helped these "rough diamonds"

Instructors:

Melissa K. Wittstruck

David Enos

The Seattle Historic Preservation Program worked with African American, Asian American, Jewish and Latino organizations to document ethnic heritage in southeast ... more

The Seattle Historic Preservation Program worked with African American, Asian American, Jewish and Latino organizations to document ethnic heritage in southeast Seattle, an area of a dozen commercial districts and residential neighborhoods. This region was transformed by an influx of WWII defense workers. Since that time, settlement of immigrant and refugee groups has increased diversity, with 55 languages spoken in public schools. A traditional historic building inventory alone would miss the evolving character of these neighborhoods, so the city commissioned supplemental essays, posters and multi-media content in five languages to capture the district’s diversity and share historical information with residents. Contributing historians, preservationists, museum professionals and designers will participate in a panel discussion on strategies for documenting the evolution of urban neighborhoods and sharing that information with the public through innovative multi-media formats.

Instructors:

Holly Taylor

Garden apartments scattered throughout the country tell an important story about how housing and planning came together in the 1930s-50s to create an entirely n ... more

Garden apartments scattered throughout the country tell an important story about how housing and planning came together in the 1930s-50s to create an entirely new and innovative approach to multi-family living – now increasingly threatened by demolition, densification and high rents. Established to serve a burgeoning middleclass and contribute to the rise of suburbs as we know them, garden apartments are based on concepts adapted from the British and American Garden City Movements. At the time financing for new construction was secured by insured mortgages through the Fed’l Housing Admin (FHA). In turn, FHA required their projects adhere to strict design guidelines, often favoring green open spaces, moderate-to-low-density housing, and large, multi-acre sites. Flash forward fifty years and you will find many of these garden apartments located on valuable real estate and often seen as ripe for higher-density redevelopment. From Washington, DC and Virginia to LA, hear how people are raising awareness about historic garden apartments as great places to live, and saving and updating them while addressing tough issues of diversity, sustainability and economics.

Instructors:

Michael Leventhal

Adrian Fine

Audrey T Tepper

Main Street communities are in a unique position to address both preservation and sustainability goals through historic building renovation and deep energy retr ... more

Main Street communities are in a unique position to address both preservation and sustainability goals through historic building renovation and deep energy retrofit. Using an image-rich ‘10x10’ format, this session will take a look at three successful green rehabilitation projects with ambitious owner/developers who achieved deep energy savings in their historic buildings. In addition to creating construction jobs, these preservation projects support the local Main Street community and economy by providing tenant spaces for local businesses. This session will equip preservationists and developers with tools, strategies and likely partners for greening Main Street buildings.

Instructors:

Doug Loescher

Kimberly Quirk

Chaden Halfhill

Sustainability is more than planting trees in parking lots and rain water collection. Sustainability is about timeless design, quality construction, and maintai ... more

Sustainability is more than planting trees in parking lots and rain water collection. Sustainability is about timeless design, quality construction, and maintaining economic value. Mission Hills, KS was one of the country’s first planned communities – part of J.C. Nichols Country Club Development – and epitomizes these sustainable values. Challenged by new construction that didn’t seem to “fit in” traditional design review wasn’t working. The City created a new style of design guidelines that addressed the main design principals of the original development including the relationship of buildings to the landscape and the public realm, patterns of lot development and building massing, as well as timeless qualities of style and construction. Based primarily on good Urban Planning Principals, the guidelines meld urbanism and preservation into a model for achieving and maintaining sustainability in older neighborhoods.

Instructors:

Nore Winter

Laura Carsten

Matt Halisky