Michael Powe

The Atlas of ReUrbanism: Buildings and Blocks in American Cities
Michael Powe
Director of Research, Preservation Green Lab, National Trust for Historic Preservation

The Preservation Green Lab, an arm of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, conducts research that demonstrates the ways old buildings contribute to resilient local economies; distinctive, walkable neighborhoods; and inclusive communities. In New York and other booming cities, however, some economists and development advocates have argued that preservation constrains supply, diminishes affordability, and exacerbates social inequality. Ensuing debates have conflated new housing development with economic justice, and historic preservation with NIMBYism—nuance and complexity wholly set aside. Crossing the ideas of Jane Jacobs and Stewart Brand with insights from newly available data, Dr. Michael Powe will share some surprising findings from the work of the Green Lab and discuss the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s vision for the place of old buildings in cities of today and the future.

The Lectures in Planning Series (LiPS) is an initiative of the Urban Planning program at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

All lectures are free and open to the public; refreshments are provided. For more information or to make program suggestions, email lipscolumbiaplanning@gmail.com.