The Preservation Green Lab at the National Trust for Historic Preservation aims to connect historic preservation with growing interest in sustainability nation-wide. With this goal, the organization has created the Atlas of ReUrbanism, a series of interactive maps that present data about urban buildings in an engaging fashion. Aimed at urban developers, residents, activists, and journalists, the Atlas of ReUrbanism allows users to examine data about the age and diversity of buildings in each area of the city. As of this write up, users can examine information about ten U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit; maps of 30 additional cities will be added in the future. While directed at developers and preservation activists, these maps may also have a broader appeal. For example, the atlas provides an engaging tool for K-12 geography classrooms, providing young students with information about their city. Alternatively, the tool provides a model for students to create interactive maps about their own communities. In addition, this tool may be of interest to anyone researching urban areas for the purposes of journalism, grant proposals, and academic research.
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