Workshops, Trainings, and Events

Upcoming Trainings

Climate

Air Quality Webinar Series - Introduction to Air Quality, Thursday, September 9 | 3 p.m. to 4 p.m

What are the sources of outdoor air pollution? How does outdoor air pollution impact indoor environments? What should we consider when planning for healthy, indoor air environments? What are the health impacts of these air pollutants? What do we know about improving indoor air quality?

A panel of experts will answer these questions and more at the first webinar in our series about indoor air quality. Panelist presentations will be followed up a Q&A. Register here

Accelerating Climate Resilience Speaker Series: Redlining and Extreme Heat,  Thursday, September 30 | 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Join MAPC to hear from an incredible panel from across the country on the correlation between redlining and extreme heat, and how both urban and suburban communities have a role to play. Panelists will share their research on the correlation between redlining and extreme heat, as well as their experience with strategies to mitigate the problem by prioritizing street trees in historically redlined neighborhoods and reforming exclusionary zoning to allow more people to live in greener neighborhoods. 

Panelists include: 

Jeremy Hoffman, Phd, the David and Jane Cohn Scientist at the Science Museum of Virginia and an Affiliate Faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University

Tennis Lilly, Climate Resiliency Program Manager at Groundworks Lawrence

Lori Droste, City of Berkeley, California Council member 

Trails

Funding Opportunities for Regional Trail Projects, Wednesday, September 29 | 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The LandLine Coalition, which works to implement MAPC’s vision of a proposed 1,400 mile network of connected trails and greenways in Greater Boston, will host this webinar on funding opportunities for trail, greenway, and road projects. Attendees will learn about funding available through MassDOT, MassTrails, DCR, and foundations. 

Historic Preservation

Introduction to Historic Preservation, Thursday, October 7, 1 pm

You were appointed to a local historical commission or historic district commission – now what? This workshop will cover the basics to help you be an educated commissioner familiar with the terminology and programs of the historic preservation field. There will be a high-level discussion of the key historic preservation tools, but their details and implementation processes will be covered in other workshops. You will come away from the presentation being able to speak knowledgeably about your commission and its role in the community, and having a sense of how to develop a work plan for your commission.

Developing an Historic Preservation Plan, Wednesday, October 20, 10 am

Historic preservationists are often reactive – a property in your community is threatened, and you are spurred into action. But how can your local historical commission and wider preservation community be more proactive? Developing an historic preservation plan for your community can help you understand your historic resources better, see where there are gaps in your knowledge and level of protection, and help you discover the key preservation tools you might be missing. In this workshop you will learn more about what goes into a preservation plan, why it is important, and how you might prepare one for your community.

 Historic Resources Survey and the National Register of Historic Places, Tuesday, November 2, 1 pm

One of the most important tasks a local historical commission can undertake is to identify and evaluate the community’s historic resources. This is primarily done through survey and inventory work, which documents historic resources on standardized forms produced by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Then you can evaluate your historic resources for potential listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Learn more about the survey process and National Register designation in this workshop, and especially how the two work hand-in-hand to help you deepen your understanding of your local historic resources.

Architectural Styles, Forms, and Building Technologies of Massachusetts, Tuesday, November 16, 10 am

Many local commission members may have a wealth of knowledge about their community’s history, but feel less sure speaking about their community’s architecture. This workshop will provide a very high-level overview of residential house forms, architectural styles, and changes in building technology found in Massachusetts. Ranging from the First Period of settlement to the early 20^th century, this workshop will allow you to better identify the historic resources in your community, more accurately date them, and set them into a larger context so you can evaluate their significance.

Establishing Local Historic Districts, Thursday, December 16, 10 am

Local historic districts provide one of the strongest forms of protection for historic properties in Massachusetts. This workshop will cover the process by which communities can establish local historic districts under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40C. Learn all about the outreach process, the legalities of establishing local districts, completing a Study Report, and making it through Town Meeting or City Council. This workshop will focus exclusively on establishing local historic districts; administration of local historic districts and design review will be covered in a separate workshop.

Past Workshops and Trainings