Preservation 2030
Preservation conference 2008

Schedule of Events ~ Facts and Figures ~ Related Press ~ Images

PlaNYC 2030 is a broad initiative put forth by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to enhance New York’s urban environment for the future focusing on sustainable goals for land, air, water, energy and transportation projects. One of the main premises of the plan is that New York City will receive an additional one million residents in the next two decades. Many in the preservation community want to know how the city can accommodate this growth and still retain its historic character. Using the Mayor’s PlaNYC as a starting point, the Historic Districts Council’s 14th Annual Preservation Conference will focus on preservation and its relation to a broad framework of urban issues and how they relate to New York’s many diverse neighborhoods. The HDC conference will utilize original research, real-life case studies, panel discussions and community tours to talk about preservation and development in the future, especially through the lens of the 2030 Plan and its land use initiatives.

A distinguished group of preservationists, planners, elected officials, government agency representatives, architects and educators from across New York City’s five boroughs will address these issues. These panelists are all intimately invested in the development and land use concerns of their communities and will dissect PlaNYC and it’s implications for our city’s future. The Conference will consist of three panel discussions: “Surviving the Building Boom: Urban Neighborhoods of the Future,” “Building it Out: Suburban Neighborhoods of the Future” and “Tools of the Trade: Preservation Practices for the Next Generation.”

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, March 7, 2008
6pm-8pm Opening Night Reception
Federal Hall
26 Wall Street (at intersection of Broad, Nassau and Wall Streets)

Join us for a cocktail reception in the rotunda at Federal Hall, a renowned site in Lower Manhattan where George Washington took the oath of office as the first US president. The original 18th-century edifice was the location of New York City’s first City Hall and later functioned as the first US Capital Building; it was demolished in 1812. Erected in 1842 as the first US Customs House, the current structure was designed by Town & Davis and remains one of New York City’s most striking institutional examples of the Greek Revival architectural style. It is located within the Wall Street National Register Historic District and today functions as a national monument commemorating its noteworthy predecessor. The evening will feature a short presentation on the recently listed Wall Street District by the Trust for Architectural Easements.

Saturday, March 8, 2008
Panel Discussions and Keynote Speaker
Swayduck Auditorium, The New School
65 Fifth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streetes, Manhattan

9:30am-10:45am
PlaNYC2030
Keynote Address by Keynote address by Rohit Aggarwala, director, NYC Department of Long-term Planning & Sustainability

This year’s Conference keynote address will be delivered by Rohit Aggarwala, director of the New York City Department of Long-term Planning and Sustainability. As director, Mr. Aggarwala has been a key author of the Bloomberg administration’s PlaNYC 2030. He will present the plan in detail, specifically how it addresses the intersection of population growth, new construction and the character of existing neighborhoods. Special attention will be given to the portions of the Plan that already incorporate preservation principles – like the Housing section’s “Initiative 5,” which seeks to adapt outdated buildings to new uses – and Mr. Aggarwala will be asked to address additional ways to use preservation principles in guiding development.

This year’s keynote will be followed by a roundtable discussion featuring several planning and land use experts who will discuss the ideas raised in the keynote. How can the public continue to help shape the plan now that the public comment period has ended? What are the broader implications of the commitment to ‘green development’ for older buildings? Such questions will allow us to continue the dialogue about PlaNYC and highlight important points that will be addressed in the conference’s later panels. HDC’s xecutive Director Simeon Bankoff will moderate this panel with respondents Peg Breen, president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy; John Peters, professor at the College of Staten Island; and Anthony C. Wood, author of Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City’s Landmarks.

11am-12:30pm
SURVIVING THE BUILDING BOOM: URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS OF THE FUTURE
Land in New York City is being redeveloped at an enormous rate. In urban areas of the city, out-of-scale development threatens many historic neighborhoods. Still, PlaNYC shows the need to accommodate many more people in the coming years. How can these urban areas retain their historic character while providing new housing and services?

A diverse group of panelists will address these issues, including Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation; Brad Lander, Director of the Pratt Center for Community Development; and Michael Rebic, property manager for the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

2pm-3:30pm
BUILDING IT OUT: SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOODS OF THE FUTURE
The suburban areas of the city are facing different problems than their urban counterparts. Neighborhoods that never expected to face major development pressures are now seeing properties torn down, subdivided and whole communities transformed. With lower density, these areas will expect to receive many new residents in the coming decades and how they accommodate them is a big question. How can preservation play an integral role in preserving the low-rise character of many of these communities?

This panel will feature presentations by HDC president and planner Paul Graziano, New York State Senator John Shapiro of Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, and Susan Seigel, former Executive Director of the Flatbush Development Corporation.

3:45pm-5:15pm
TOOLS OF THE TRADE: PRESERVATION PRACTICES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
If the preservation movement is going to be successful in the coming decades, we need the most appropriate and up-to-date tools and regulations in place. These panelists have a wealth of knowledge about municipal policies that affect preservation and they will discuss utilizing and improving these policies.

Participants will include Juan Camilo Osorio of The Planning Center at the Municipal Art Society, president of the Preservation League of New York State Jay DiLorenzo, and Steven McClain, president of the Trust for Architectural Easements.

Sunday, March 9, 2007
Walking Tours
Walking around a wide selection of New York City neighborhoods. Starting times and locations for tours will be provided upon reciept of registration.

IS THERE A FUTURE FOR OLD FLUSHING?
Flushing, Queens is one of the most diverse areas in all of New York. But much of what was once the historic village of Flushing has been lost. How do we save the remaining historic fabric of the area while accommodating more new residents and calls for increased density? Tour guide Paul Graziano, HDC's board chair, will show important sites of Flushing’s past and explain how the area can help preserve its historic treasures

FROM HILL TO ETERNITY: RICHMOND HILL
Join Nancy Cataldi, president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society, and architect Ivan Mrakovcic as they visit that make upthe historic fabric of Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens. The suburban Queens neighborhoods boast lovingly restored, free-standing Victorian homes, though many nearby have suffered less sympathetic alterations and tear-downs.See also the new community center built within the Maple Grove Cemetery and the designated Republican club, which has fallen into a devastating state of disrepair.

GREENPOINT & WILLIAMSBURG: AFTER THE PLAN
In the aftermath of the Williamsburg-Greenpoint upzoning, the area immediately surrounding McCarren Park has undergone a drastic transformation. Once predominantly comprised of low-rise row houses and apartment buildings, the Park’s borders are now dominated by luxury condominiums built of materials and to a scale out of context with the rest of the neighborhood. This tour will highlight this severe new construction and how it’s affected surrounding areas.

NOT EXACTLY YOUR GRANDMA’S LOWER EAST SIDE
Despite the influx of growth the neighborhood has undergone, local residents in the Lower East Side are pushing to have the City designate an historic district within the very same boundaries that have recently attracted developers. Noting both the boutique hotels and large-scale residences being erected and the historic tenements the community is fighting to preserve, Renee Epps and Danielle Linzer of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum will guide tourgoers as they traverse this dynamic corner of downtown Manhattan.

CONNECTING THE CITY: THE HIGH BRIDGE
New York’s oldest bridge, the High Bridge carried the city’s earliest clean water supply across the Harlem River and was the most celebrated part of the Old Croton Aqueduct. Both a city and national landmark, the bridge is a unique crossing connecting parklands in The Bronx and Manhattan. Join Charlotte Fahn of Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct and the High Bridge Coalition for a climb to the top of the High Bridge Water Tower and a visit to the two ends of the bridge. Please note that this tour will not provide access to the bridge itself.

THE WILD WILD WEST SIDE: MANHATTAN ALONG THE HUDSON
Follow the leaders of the Greenwich Village Community Taskforce as they as they discuss the history and future of land-use on the Far West Village of Manhattan, from the meatpacking district to Christopher Street. Though a number of blocks along the trail fall within designated historic districts, this community is still undergoing major changes including rezonings and major new construction.

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FACTS AND FIGURES

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