Pratt Institute

Education

Ph.D., Columbia University;
M. Phil., Columbia University;
M.S., Pratt Institute;
B.A., Shimer College

Biography

Eric Allison is founder and coordinator of the graduate Historic Preservation program and Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Architecture. He has taught historic preservation and planning at Pratt since 1996. Dr. AllisonÂ’s research interests are on the place of historic preservation in the creation and maintenance of livable cities, in emerging concepts of heritage preservation, and in the application of Complex Systems Theory to human society, including the future of cities, virtual communities, and the changing nature of the nation-state.

Dr. Allison serves on the boards of several not for profit organizations dedicated to preserving the architecture, physical records, and historic artifacts of New York area communities. He was for 10 years (1990-2000) president of the Historic Districts Council, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to New York City preservation. As president, he organized its transformation from an all-volunteer organization operating out of a post-office box to one with a full-time staff and citywide impact while increasing fund raising over 50-fold. He served on the Rebuild Lower Manhattan Task Force of the Metro Chapter of the American Planning Association and is a Vice Chair of the National Council for Preservation Education, the body that sets standards for and certifies preservation programs. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Outside of academia, his experience includes twenty-five years as a consultant, specializing in strategic planning, organizational development, performance management, and communications. He has led projects in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

A speaker and author, Dr. Allison has written on several subjects, including urban planning and preservation, business, and fiction. His works on business include MANAGING UP, MANAGING DOWN, a practical book on middle management techniques for supervisors (Simon & Schuster, 1984; co-authored with Mary Ann Allison) and THE RAIDERS OF WALL STREET (Stein & Day, 1986). A murder mystery, THROUGH THE VALLEY OF DEATH, was published by Doubleday in 1983, also co-authored with Mary Ann Allison. He is currently writing a book for John Wiley & Sons titled LIVABLE CITIES AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION.

Dr. Allison’s awards include a 1998 appointment by Mayor Giuliani as a Centennial Historian of New York City and election to membership in the Salzburg Congress on Urban Planning and Development and the Institute for Urban Design. He is profiled in Who’s Who in America.