FORUM
Workshops

Designed as an intensive, hands-on training, the Commission Short Course equips volunteer commissioners and staff with the essential knowledge and skills needed to be effective in their roles. Ideal for both seasoned professionals seeking a refresher and those new to preservation commissions, the session covers key topics including Standards and Guidelines for Design Review, Meeting Procedures, Community Engagement and Building Public Support, and an interactive Design Review Exercise.

In this scenario-driven tabletop exercise, attendees will be active participants in a hands-on workshop focused on how communities can request federal technical assistance for natural and cultural resources affected by disasters. The session will highlight practical strategies for working with emergency management officials to raise awareness of these resources and secure support both in the immediate aftermath and throughout long-term recovery. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of the processes, capabilities, and limitations of federal disaster response and recovery assistance.

Historic preservation often speaks most effectively to homeowners, developers, and local officials. But what about the broader community? This interactive session explores creative approaches to community engagement that connect preservation with a wider audience through multiple entry points and links to other local priorities. Using Bozeman, Montana, and Austin, Texas as case studies, presenters will share how different goals - ranging from codifying local landmarks to celebrating Preservation Month to developing a new citywide preservation plan - required different strategies, language, tools, and partners. Breakout sessions after the presentations will help participants identify new strategies and leave with adaptable engagement ideas that move beyond the standard meetings and surveys, expand relevance, and make preservation a lived, valued experience for more people.

Alternative materials are increasingly being used to replace features on historic properties or incorporated into new construction within historic districts. This session will explore the various approaches commissions have taken to evaluate proposed alternative materials, address community expectations, and ensure that these materials do not detract from historic buildings. Participants will also have the opportunity to share feedback through interactive presentation software. The session will highlight common types of alternative materials and discuss key considerations when evaluating them, as well as strategies for incorporating alternative material review into application and approval processes.

Jane Jacobs famously said, “New ideas need old buildings.” We are pretty sure she would also say that young people with new ideas need old buildings and spaces. But, has historic preservation distanced itself too far from young people? What can we do about it? In this interactive workshop, attendees will learn methods to engage and empower young people and see preservation from a different perspective through a discussion with early career preservationists. This workshop will introduce YEP! methodology, best practices, and project examples from across the country for developing young people’s civic leadership, integrating younger voices into planning processes, and recruiting diverse voices into our profession.Youth Engagement Planning (YEP!) is a non-profit that creates customizable tools for youth participatory planning and project-based learning - involving more than 7,000 students (ages 5-26), educators, and community partners nationwide. The discussion led by young professionals currently working and engaging in historic preservation, will discuss topics related directly to what attracted them to preservation, what keeps them engaged, and how they want to see preservation change moving forward. They will also discuss the challenges and successes they have experienced and how they have shaped their preservation goals. The panel aims to have attendees walk away with a better understanding of how young adults engage with preservation, how they can attract other young professionals to the field, and new ideas on how to engage with young adult audiences.