The university is convening a symposium with experts from around the country to chart a path for the study of historic buildings.
"Inspired by Pittsburgh's national reputation in historic preservation, its namesake university is considering developing a degree program in the field.
The academic discipline devoted to the study and preservation of old buildings is relatively young. New York's Columbia University began the first one a little more than 40 years ago. Since then, preservation education has grown to include a dozen institutions offering undergraduate degrees or certificates and 24 offering graduate programs.
Some of those, such as Belmont Technical College in St. Clairsville, Ohio, offer hands-on training for students who want to learn the building trades. Others take a more academic approach. Columbia, for example, offers a comprehensive architectural, legal and technical program, but with an emphasis on interpretation. Students explore the meaning of historic buildings and the lessons they convey about the human condition so they can make effective arguments for preserving them.
Pitt isn't sure which direction a program here should take, and that's one of the reasons it's hosting a day-long symposium Saturday, bringing together the heads of some of the country's top preservation programs with representatives of local museums, preservation groups, architecture firms and universities, including Pitt faculty and students."
FULL STORY: Pitt ponders degree program in historic preservation

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions