Katelin Olson

Katelin Olson specializes in historic preservation planning, urban history, and nonprofit management and advocacy. Her current research focuses on the use and reuse of religious properties and urban security planning in the age of terrorism. Olson is the CEO and cofounder of SF Planning and Logistics (Trumansburg, New York) and serves on the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Town of Ulysses Planning Board.

Prior to Cornell, Olson was the Executive Director of the Albion Main Street Alliance, one of only three accredited National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street Programs in New York. She has Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University (2018). Additionally, she holds an M.A. in historic preservation planning from Cornell University (2009) and a B.A. in history and political science from Vanderbilt University (2005).

Classes (Selected)

  • CRP 1100 The American CityAn introductory course on the physical evolution of the American metropolis – its origins, planning, design and development. In it we unpack the visions, values and ideals that have shaped settlement patterns on the land from the pre-colonial era to the present day, and interrogate the manifold forces—political, socioeconomic, technological—that have created America's urban and suburban built environments. Throughout the semester we probe the complex and iterative relationship between space and society in America, seeking to learn what it tells us about our nation and ourselves.
  • CRP 5620 Perspectives on PreservationIntroduction to the theory, history, and practice of Historic Preservation Planning in America, with an emphasis on understanding the development and implementation of a preservation project. The course discusses projects ranging in scale and character from individual buildings to districts to cultural landscapes; as well as topics such as preservation economics, government regulations, significance and authenticity, and the politics of identifying and conserving cultural and natural resources.

Awards, Grants, and Fellowships (Selected)

  • Sage Fellowship, Cornell University (2015–16)
  • Clarence S. Stein Institute for Urban and Landscape Studies (2008–9, 2014–17) 
  • Degree marshall for all graduating M.A. candidates, Cornell University (2009)
  • John Reps Award for Preservation, Cornell University (2009)

Exhibitions and Presentations (Selected)

  • "Building Up," 40th Anniversary Symposium, Ithaca, New York (2016)
  • "The State of Upstate Cities: Fiscal Crisis and Economic Development Response," New York Upstate APA Annual Conference (2014)
  • "Syracuse: Weather Fiscal Challenges Through Creative Partnerships," State of the New York Cities, Cornell University (2014)

Publications (Selected)

  • Urban Stratigraphy: The Backstory of Thirty-One Buffalo Blocks (2018)

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