Elizabeth Brabec interview
Date
2021-02-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Center for Historic Architecture and Design, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
Abstract
Elizabeth Brabec is currently a Professor and the Department Head of Landscape Architecture and
Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her career and research has
focused on land conservation and the design and planning of open space. In 1986, she founded
Land Ethics, Inc., a landscape planning firm based in Washington, D.C., and managed the firm for
nearly two decades. In 1992, she was the lead author for “Linking the Past to the Future: A
Landscape Conservation Strategy for Waterford, Virginia” for the National Park Service and the
Waterford Foundation, a blueprint document for limited development to preserve Waterford’s
rural character. Brabec also authored “Tomorrow’s Park and Open Space Preservation Strategy
for Waterford Village” in the academic journal Cultural Resource Management (1993) about her
work in Waterford and co-authored Rural by Design: Maintaining Small Town Character (1994)
with Randall Arendt, as well as many additional published papers and journal articles on land
conservation and open space design and planning. She was previously an Associate Professor of
Landscape Architecture at the University of Michigan and Professor and Department Head of
Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at the University of Michigan. Brabec holds
a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Guelph in Canada and a Juris Doctor
from the University of Maryland.
In the interview, Brabec highlights how preservation efforts in Waterford and tools established and implemented set a number of precedents for cultural resource management and land conservation in the context of a National Historic Landmark District. She speaks specifically about the Waterford Compact and creating the guiding document, “Linking the Past to the Future: A Landscape Conservation Strategy for Waterford, Virginia.” She addresses how it impacted Waterford and directly influenced and became a model for land conservation projects that followed, as well as a teaching tool for land conservation programs.
Abstract and Index by: Kimberley Showell, Center for Historic Architecture and Design, University of Delaware, April 22, 2021
In the interview, Brabec highlights how preservation efforts in Waterford and tools established and implemented set a number of precedents for cultural resource management and land conservation in the context of a National Historic Landmark District. She speaks specifically about the Waterford Compact and creating the guiding document, “Linking the Past to the Future: A Landscape Conservation Strategy for Waterford, Virginia.” She addresses how it impacted Waterford and directly influenced and became a model for land conservation projects that followed, as well as a teaching tool for land conservation programs.
Abstract and Index by: Kimberley Showell, Center for Historic Architecture and Design, University of Delaware, April 22, 2021
Description
Interview by: Catherine Morrissey, Center for Historic Architecture and Design, University of
Delaware, Newark, DE
Keywords
District boundaries, Influence on other designations, Linking the Past to the Future, Model/teaching tool for landscape conservation, Open space and conservation easements, Precedence setting, Recommendations for the future of Waterford, VA, Waterford national significance, Waterford Compact, Reception [06:20–7:53]