Chattanooga Preservation Awards with Keynote Speaker Donovan Rypkema

The Nexus of Historic Preservation and Economic Development

While historic preservation has usually been advocated on aesthetic and cultural grounds, there is more and more evidence of the environmental, economic, and social impacts of preservation. Mr. Rypkema will highlight recent findings about the multiple values of historic preservation, including the role that older and historic housing stock plays in providing affordable housing.

Donovan Rypkema is president of Heritage Strategies International and principal of PlaceEconomics. Working at the nexus of historic preservation and economic development, Rypkema has undertaken assignments in 49 US States and nearly 60 countries. Recent projects include studies of the impact of historic preservation in Columbia, SC and St. Petersburg, FL, and recommendations for incentives for Modern Heritage in Abu Dhabi.

Mr. Rypkema serves on the Real Estate Market Advisory Committee of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, the Board of Directors of Global Urban Development, a member of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on the Economics of Conservation, and the Advisory Board of the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network.

Mr. Rypkema is the author of The Economics of Historic Preservation which has been translated into Russian, Korean, and Georgian and the Feasibility Assessment Manual for Reusing Historic Buildings. Rypkema teaches preservation economics at the University of Pennsylvania where he received the G. Holmes Perkins Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Mr. Rypkema was also the recipient of the Crowninshield Award from the National Trust. The Crowninshield is the nation’s highest preservation award and is presented for lifetime contributions to the field of historic preservation.

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