A New Attitude on Old Approaches: Examining Facadism

Has the approach to facadism changed? Can it be done well? Is it an acceptable compromise when other priorities—affordable or just more housing, improving urban designs, climate change and seismic resiliency, or simple economics—clash with by-the-books preservation? How can we support good projects while maintaining preservation standards (if not the Standards)? On the other hand, how do we prevent facadism from becoming the default option? This session will explore these questions with a discussion among preservation professionals, city planning staff, and others.