Celebration Keynote Speaker
Restore Oregon is excited to announce that Emilie Evans, of PlaceEconomics, will be giving the Keynote Address for the 2016 Restoration Celebration. Our most important event of the year, the Restoration Celebration will take place on Friday, November 11, showcasing outstanding historic rehab projects receiving DeMuro Awards and announcing the list of Oregon’s Most Endangered Places.
Emilie Evans is shaping the future of cities across the country with a focus on developing public spaces using smart empty-lot development and strategic demolition where necessary. She leads the Rightsizing Cities Initiative for PlaceEconomics, a non-profit in Washington, D.C. led by famed historic preservation economist Donovan Rypkema.
The Rightsizing Cities Initiative focuses on planning decisions and regenerative opportunities that are rooted in local landscapes and character. It ties together local assets and a pragmatic planning ethos to produce clear, workable, community-based plans and strategies for strengthening neighborhoods in rightsizing efforts.
Emilie leads these life-altering projects at PlaceEconomics using Relocal, their data-based tool to develop tailored, parcel-level recommendations for incorporating vacant buildings and lots into neighborhood revitalization strategies using over 70 distinct metrics and a community input features.
Purchasing your tickets to the Restoration Celebration today will guarantee you get to hear remarks from one of the nation’s brightest historic preservationists!
Previously, Evans served as Detroit Preservation Specialist working jointly for the Michigan Historic Preservation Network and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. There she spearheaded a smartphone survey of nearly 18,000 historic properties across Detroit neighborhoods targeted for blight mitigation to help inform strategic demolition decisions.
She is a co-founder and co-leader of Brick + Beam Detroit, a Knight Cities Challenge winner that coalesces a community of building rehabbers across Detroit and connects them with tradespeople, resources, and support to get reinvestment projects started.
Prior to Detroit, Evans worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and served as Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University, from which Evans holds masters’ degrees in Historic Preservation and Urban Planning. Emilie is the 2015 winner of the American Express Aspire Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The 2016 Restoration Celebration is presented by Versatile Wood Products.
