February 19
New Visions: Agendas for Historic Preservation in the 21st Century
In recent years, the American historic preservation movement has struggled to establish a clear vision for itself. Pronouncements about the value of “common heritage” and the need to preserve for future generations no longer have broad appeal. Part of the problem lies with the failure to see preservation as guided partly by moral aims. Recognizing preservation’s potential for creating more just, more equitable, more tolerant communities offers strategies for refocusing its priorities, winning new support, and crafting a viable agenda for the current century.
March 5
Preservation and Climate Change in the Ohio Valley
The Ohio Valley is growing hotter and wetter. How will climate change affect the region, and what can retrofitting existing buildings do to limit the effects? Preservation has a vital role to play in creating greener, more resilient built environments. This talk surveys the challenges that Ohio Valley communities will soon face and outlines preservation-based strategies for addressing them.
March 26
What Everyone Who Cares About Preservation Should Know About Marx
Karl Marx, the 19th-century German philosopher and revolutionary, is rarely mentioned in the same breath as historic preservation. This is unfortunate, for Marx’s analysis of capitalism has a great deal to offer students of the built world. Understanding how Marx saw the relationship between capital and the built environment offers opportunities to better understand preservation, its relationship to “new” development, and its untapped potential.
April 9
Why Difficult Histories Matter
Difficult histories are suddenly everywhere – in controversies over Confederate memorials, sites associated with slavery, and the locations of historical atrocities. Americans have traditionally shied away from such sites, preferring instead to celebrate those associated with well-known figures and their causes. Although recent efforts have begun to craft a different paradigm, many people remain reluctant to face up to contentious, trauma-laden pasts. This talk argues for the importance of “difficult histories” and explains why sites associated with them hold the potential to give historic preservation new energy, direction and relevance.
