Jeremy Wells has been promoted with tenure to associate professor of historic preservation by the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. With experience in city preservation planning, materials conservation and cultural heritage planning and policy, Wells’ teaching and research promote historic environments as a vehicle for social justice, connection and sustainability. Specifically, Wells explores the concept of “place conservation” to develop methods for creating a more equitable, just and resilient preservation framework that recognizes the heritage and places of marginalized and underrepresented groups. Wells joined UMD’s Historic Preservation Program in 2017.
Wells has led a number of community-based projects at MAPP that center on place conservation and cultural preservation, including the documentation of LGBTQ history in Baltimore in 2018. His current research intersects with the fields of environmental psychology and neuroscience to study the emotional responses of decay and patina in the built environment.
Wells holds a PhD in environmental design and planning from Clemson University and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the founder of the Historic Environment Knowledge Network at the Environmental Design Research Association and runs the website, heritagestudies.org.
Read more about Wells and his research on his biography page.