Publication Date

Spring 1996

Degree Type

Master's Project

Degree Name

Master of Urban Planning (MUP)

Department

Urban and Regional Planning

Abstract

Many cities lack a sense of place - the feeling that one is in a unique place. The 'mom and pop' businesses have given way to large chain stores and restaurants. These establishments look the same from city to city because they are built using the same corporate architectime plans. The corporate architecture is more often then not, a plain box building with large corporate logo signage. This "strip mailing" of America has homogenized the country, one is hard pressed to tell if one is in New Kensington, Pennsylvania or in Palo Alto, California - the climate is often the telling factor. Today cities are starting to fight back, requiring companies to meet design guidelines and encouraging the reuse of older buildings.

The most interesting cities are those that are a reflection of the past and present. They offer the user a sense of what has been and what can be. Historic preservation is a way to retain this sense of our past by saving irreplaceable, historically significant sites, structures, landscapes and districts.

Download

Share

COinS