Urban Planning 402/696: Historic Preservation and Urban
Conservation
Spring 2008 -- 2210 Art & Architecture Building; M W 3pm-6pm
Dale Winling
lwinling@umich.edu
Office Hours: 2224B A&AB
M 6-7pm, W 2-3pm
This course is intended to serve three purposes: first, it is a
broad survey of ideas and issues within the field of
preservation; second, it is an introduction to some of the
professional methods and practices used within the field of
preservation; third, it is a forum for the exchange of ideas
between students in different
disciplines.
GRADING
Participation
Presentations
Assignments
Final Project
25%
25%
20%
Project
30%
30%
PARTICIPATION
This course requires more than
simply showing up. Three
credit spring courses involve
6 hours of class time each week and 1-2 times that much in outof-class work. Part of your
Artist’s rendering of Michigan Central Station in
class responsibilities will be
Detroit, Michigan
to participate thoughtfully in
discussions on the readings for each class. This is unlikely
unless you do the readings. For the first session’s
participation points, each student must write five entries of
vocabulary or concepts on the CTools wiki.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. All students will turn in an essay centered on one of the
issues addressed by the course. The essay should use course
readings and CTools resources on the topic as a starting point,
drawing in other sources from outside the course to develop
discussion of the topic. This essay should argue a point, not
merely summarize the readings.
Undergraduate students: 4-5 pages
Graduate students: 6-8 pages
2. Each student will choose a historic building in the Ann
Arbor/Ypsilanti area and will document it through photos and
architectural description in a 3-5 page paper, as well as
submitting it to the Web site Arborwiki.
PRESENTATIONS
Each student will have to make three presentations during the
course of the semester. One will be on the Case Study research
(as part of a group); another will be on the readings for one of
our class sessions; the last will be a group presentation on the
Final Project. Please consult with me in advance of these
presentations to ensure they are effective and engaging.
FINAL PROJECT
Students will work in teams on one of several projects developed
for this course. The projects will emphasize different aspects
of preservation and conservation, as well as a mix of different
career tracks.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Cite your sources according
to the Chicago Manual of Style or the Turabian style guide.
Please ask your instructor if you have any questions about the
appropriate means of crediting sources.
Required Textbooks
Thomas Hubka, Big House Little House Back House Barn
Robert Stipe, A Richer Heritage
SCHEDULE
Week 1 (April 30): Introduction
(Wed):
Introduction
American Urban History
Week 2 (May 5): Preservation and Change
(Mon):
Origins and Theories of Preservation
CASE STUDIES ASSIGNED
PROJECTS ASSIGNED
Reading:
Stipe, A Richer Heritage. Intro, chs. 1, 11.
Viollet-le-Duc, On Restoration, CTools
John Ruskin, Seven Lamps of Architecture (excerpt),
CTools
(Wed):
American Preservation History
Readings: Jane Jacobs. “The Need for Aged Buildings.” The Death
and Life of Great American Cities. CTools.
Daniel Bluestone. “Academics in Tennis Shoes:
Historic Preservation in the Academy.” CTools.
Week 3 (May 12): History and Research
(Mon):
TRIP TO YPSILANTI
Meeting with Ypsilanti planner
FIELD WORK
Readings: David Ames. “A Primer on Architectural Photography
and the Photo Documentation of Historic Structures”
CTools.
William Lebovich. “Photography.” Recording Historic
Structures. CTools.
Sylvan Barnet. A Short Guide to Writing About Art.
(excerpt) CTools
Tyler, Historic Preservation, ch. 5, 6. CTools.
(Wed):
4pm)
Trip to Bentley Historical Library, 1150 Beal Ave. (3Discussion of readings (4:30-6pm)
CLEAR ESSAY TOPIC AND DOCUMENTATION SITE
Readings: Thomas Hubka. Big House, Little House, Back House,
Barn.
Richard Longstreth. “Architectural History and the
Practice of Historic Preservation in the United
States.” CTools.
Daniel Bluestone. “Chicago’s Mecca Flat Blues.”
CTools.
Week 4 (May 19): Precedents – Case Studies and Preservation Law
(Mon):
CASE STUDY PRESENTATIONS
Group Work
(Wed):
Legislation, Policy, Case Law
Readings:
Stipe, chs. 2-5
Land Use Court Decisions on CTools.
Week 5 (May 26): Other Ideas on Preservation
(Mon):
NO CLASS – MEMORIAL DAY
(Wed):
International Preservation Practices
ESSAY DUE
Readings: Diane Barthel, “Historic Preservation.” CTools.
Anthony Tung, Preserving the World’s Great Cities.
CTools.
Week 6 (June 2):
Recasting Historic Preservation –
New Media and Sustainability
(Mon):
New Media In Architecture And Preservation
Readings: Sonia Zjawinski. “Framing Open Source Architecture.”
CTools.
Jurgen Habermas. “Structural Transformation of the
Public Sphere.” CTools.
(Wed):
Environment and Transportation
Readings:
APT Bulletin articles on sustainability. CTools.
Sam Bass Warner. “The Weave of Small Patterns.”
CTools.
Julian Agyeman. “Toward Just Sustainability in Urban
Communities.” CTools.
Yosef Jabareen, “Sustainable Urban Forms.” CTools.
Week 7 (June 9): Economics and Class
(Mon):
Preservation Economics
Readings: Stipe, chs. 9, 10.
Donovan Rypkema, Economic Development and
Preservation. CTools.
Real Estate Exercise. CTools.
DOCUMENTATION ASSIGNMENT DUE
(Wed):
The Economic Development/Gentrification debate
Presentation by Donovan Rypkma
Readings: Neil Smith. “The New Urban Frontier.” CTools.
Lawrence Freeman. “Gentrification and Displacement.”
CTools.
Week 8 (June 16): End of Class
(Mon)
PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
(Wed)
PROJECTS DUE BY MIDNIGHT
FINAL PROJECTS
The City of Ypsilanti will serve as our client for the term.
Our chief contact will be Richard Murphy (“Murph”) in the
Building/Planning Department.
1. Special Use Concept for Historic District Adaptive Re-use
The City of Ypsilanti is promoting adaptive re-use of
structures within its historic district, particularly in
non-residential properties, but seeks a way to re-zone that
will allow the city more control over the resulting uses.
This team will conduct preliminary adaptive re-use studies
on relevant properties within the historic district and
research the potential for creating a special use provision
in historic district zoning.
The group will produce a 25-page written report including
visual material on the sites and the re-zoning research and
proposed strategy.
2. Preservation and Redevelopment Zoning and Form
Assessment
A large, open parcel in Ypsilanti (“Water Street”) is
slated for redevelopment near the edge of the downtown,
which the city would like to be compatible with existing,
historic development patterns. This group will conduct a
survey of surrounding historic areas to determine patterns
in built form, and illustrate the difference between
existing built form and the mandates of existing zoning.
This group will produce a 25-page written report including
the inventory, visual material, and recommendations for
altering problematic zoning requirements to facilitate
sympathetic redevelopment.
3. Media Project
Group members will assess community information resources
on Ypsilanti historic architecture and preservation and
will develop a plan for integrating new media into local
discourse on preservation and adaptive re-use. This may
include mapping tools, photo sharing and visual media
services, community wikis, and other ways of informing the
public about historic resources and preservation efforts.
The group will produce (1) a 10-page report assessing
existing media and preservation resources, along with
recommendations for development of a set of community-wide
preservation media strategies; (2) a pilot project
illustrating the potential of such a multi-media effort.