With support from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, from 2017-2018, the CLUS and partners at Millersville University conducted an Inventory & Analysis of Historic Preservation Ordinances in Pennsylvania Municipalities. The results of this research will be presented to the state legislature, and inform decisions about providing support for historic preservation at the municipal level.
While these two laws are complementary and provide local governments with a range of tools to regulate historic resources, the language of the MPC is particularly broad and lacks specific details about the mechanism municipalities should employ to preserve historic resources. The language of the MPC has led municipalities to craft local ordinances with historic preservation provisions that can vary considerably in form and approach from community to community.
A comprehensive inventory of all municipalities is needed to fully understand the landscape of how historic preservation is being carried out at the local level in Pennsylvania. Our research team will identify the communities in Pennsylvania that have enacted historic preservation ordinances, catalog the specific methods being used by municipalities across the Commonwealth, and evaluate the extent to which the current provisions of the HDA and the MPC are providing local governments with the appropriate authority, tools, and assistance to preserve the Commonwealth’s historic resources.
Goal #1: Develop an inventory of municipalities
Goal #2: Document the types of regulatory activities
Goal #3: Develop a typology of ordinances
Goal #4: Conduct a spatial analysis of municipalities
Goal #5: Conduct critical case studies of municipalities
Goal #6: Develop policy recommendations
Professor
Geography Department
Millersville University
Dana Edsall
Volunteer in Residence
Geo-graphic Laboratory
Geography Department
Millersville University
Affiliate Scholars
Steven Burg, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of History and Philosophy
B.A. from Colgate University
M.A. from University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin-Madison
I am a specialist in public history, historic preservation, and community history, with an interest in how the preservation and interpretation of cultural and natural resources influences historical memory and public perceptions of the past. I am also interested in the role historic preservation can play in building sustainable communities. My current research focuses on the historical development and preservation of African-American burial grounds in Pennsylvania. I currently serve as an appointed member of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Board.
- Tel: (717) 477-1189
- Location: College of Arts & Sciences
George Pomeroy, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Geography-Earth Science
Ph.D. in Urban Studies from University of Akron
M.S. in Geography from Western Washington University
B.A. Ed. in Geography from Western Washington University
George Pomeroy is the Associate Director of the CLUS. He teaches courses and conducts research related to community and regional planning, as well as urban geography, focusing on both U.S. and comparative contexts. He was appointed as Director of Shippensburg University’s Center for Land Use in May 2005.
- Tel: (717) 477-1776
- Location: College of Arts & Sciences
- Website: Link
Antonia Price
Project Manager, Department of Geography-Earth Science
H.B.S. in Biology from University of Utah
Antonia received an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Utah, with Undergraduate Research Scholar designation. As Project Manager for the Center for Land Use and Sustainability, she oversees various research initiatives and leads communication efforts. Antonia has a background in community outreach and science education, and enjoys communicating science to diverse audiences.
- Tel: (717) 477-1519
- Location: College of Arts & Sciences