Older, Smaller, Better: Community Character and Vitality

East VillageJune 7, 2016 @ 5:30 pm, Presentation at 6 pm
Cyntergy 810 S Cincinnati Ave, Tulsa, OK 74103

RSVP for this presentation and reception now!

The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Green Lab recently reported that established neighborhoods with a mix of older, smaller buildings attracts more entrepreneurial jobs where the creative economy thrives rather than districts with predominately larger, newer structures. In this study, the research team empirically documented the age, diversity of age, and size of buildings and statistically assessed the relationships between these characteristics and 40 economic, social, cultural, and environmental performance metrics. Though the report studied the development in Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., the results from these three cities suggest some general planning and development principles that can be applied in other communities. Join Dr. Michael Powe, Associate Director of Research, about Green Lab’s findings and how places like Tulsa could realize the benefits of reusing our older buildings.

As Associate Director of Research for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Green Lab, Dr. Michael Powe conducts research empirically assessing the contributions that existing buildings and commercial districts offer communities. In 2014, Mike led work on the Green Lab’s “Older, Smaller, Better” project, which used maps and statistics to demonstrate the critical role that older, smaller buildings play in supporting the social, cultural, and economic vitality of urban neighborhoods. He has spoken about the Green Lab’s research in cities across the country and has participated in live and recorded interviews for television, radio, and print media in numerous markets. At the Green Lab, Mike is part of a team that aims to unlock the inherent strengths of old buildings to save natural resources and strengthen local economies. Mike holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree (2006) and a doctorate in Planning, Policy, and Design (2010), both from the University of California, Irvine.

Thank you to Cyntergy and Tulsa Foundation for Architecture 

AIA and AICP continuing education credits are pending for this lecture.


Tulsa Preservation Commission is excited to bring this second lecture in the series. We hope to see you at all of these FREE lectures. More information is available on the series on our previous blog.

Thank you to our Promotional Partners: AIA Eastern Oklahoma, APA Oklahoma, Sustainable Tulsa, Tulsa Foundation for Architecture, TYPros, Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce, Urban Land Institute Oklahoma

This presentation series is funded by the National Park Service through the Certified Local Government Program.