On December 5, USC hosts the Soak It Up conference, exploring "landscape architecture’s leadership role in addressing critical urban flooding and water management." We thought it fitting to revisit our 2024 conversation with alumna Leslie Dinkin, who earned dual degrees in heritage conservation and landscape architecture. Her award-winning master’s thesis, Heritage in Practice: A Study of Two Urban Rivers, explores how and why the Los Angeles and San Antonio Rivers took such different courses in the development of their respective cities.

In addition to comparing their histories, Leslie walked nearly sixty miles along both rivers. She documented the experience through her written reflections and hundreds of photos by Rio (yes, Rio) Asch Phoenix. In the episode, she shares stories, insights, and part of her conversation with Char Miller, Director of Environmental Analysis and W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College.

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Much has changed since we spoke with alumna Dalia Mokayed in 2020 about her thesis, Heritage Conservation to Rebuild Cities After Crisis. Yet wars worldwide continue to decimate countries, communities, and cultures. In her thesis, Dalia examined her hometown of Aleppo, Syria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Years before the fall of Assad in 2024, Dalia shared her invaluable perspective on the effects of war on heritage and identity, and how heritage conservation can help cities and communities rebuild. Her optimistic take on a devastating situation still offers hope and inspiration.

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"A city is composed of different types of men; similar people cannot bring the city into existence." This quote from Aristotle's Politics opens Gaining a Foothold: Conserving Los Angeles' Queer Eden(dale), the master's thesis of alumnus Rafael Fontes (MHC/MUP '20). With the ongoing erasure of LGBTQ history from federal archives and programs, we're spotlighting our Season One interview with Rafael, whose thesis examined the first efforts to landmark LGBTQ historic sites in the city of Los Angeles.

Rafael talks with producer Willa Seidenberg about why sites of LGBTQ significance are relatively hard to find, research, and designate. He shares three local case studies—the Harry Hay Residence, The Black Cat, and the Tom of Finland House—that reflect various aspects of the city's LGBTQ history, as well as the complexities in its conservation. Both timeless and timely, this episode underscores the vital importance of LGBTQ history in Los Angeles and beyond.

See episode page for photos, links, and transcript

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Save As is taking a brief break, but we'll bring you some gems from the archives and launch Season 6 before the end of the year.

In the meantime, check out our Instagram (@saveasnextgen) for updates and catch up on previous episodes from our first five seasons!

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Of the more than 1,300 local landmarks in the City of Los Angeles, less than three percent—that’s right, three—reference the history or contributions of women. In the Season 5 finale, we hear from some of the people working to change that by amending nominations for existing landmarks (known in L.A. as Historic-Cultural Monuments, or HCMs).

Students Mel James, Leslie Madrigal, and Evan McAvenia discuss their research for an advanced documentation class, in which ten students uncovered women’s connections to designated HCMs. Doctoral student Arabella Delgado shares how she laid the groundwork for the class (taught by alumna Sian Winship) in an internship with the Los Angeles Conservancy. And Chris Morris of the National Trust for Historic Preservation talks about the role of the class in the ongoing Los Angeles Women’s Landmarks Project—a collaboration between the Trust, the Conservancy, and the City’s Office of Historic Resources that seeks to make Los Angeles a model of more equitable landmarking practice.

See episode page for photos, resources, and transcript.

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As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms modern life, we’re understanding more about the benefits and tradeoffs of its use in generating content. New alum Paul Kim wrote his master’s thesis about how generative AI (genAI) perpetuates false narratives about Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIA), and how communities can use genAI to reclaim those narratives.

In this episode, producer Willa Seidenberg talks with Paul about his thesis, Encoding Counter Memories: Artificial Intelligence as a Tool for APIA Community Empowerment. He completed it for his dual master’s degree in heritage conservation and landscape architecture and urbanism.

They discuss ethical concerns like misinformation and data privacy, how bias affects APIA heritage, and how communities can—and must—use it to share their stories and amplify accurate history. Paul’s already on the case as a Past Futures Fellow for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation (APIAHiP)!

See episode page for photos, resources, and transcript.

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An Encore episode with a new update!

A group of architecture students at the University of Southern California wants to do more than just design buildings. They want to work with communities to “un-design'' spatial injustice and leverage the power of residents in shaping their neighborhoods.

In this episode, producer Willa Seidenberg talks with students Reily Gibson and Kianna Armstrong about L.A.'s Sugar Hill, an important neighborhood cut in half by construction of the I-10 Freeway. A nonprofit they co-founded, Architecture + Advocacy, worked with neighborhood partners on a community celebration and a design-build project.

Reily and Willa walk and talk about Sugar Hill's history and legacy of activism, and Kianna shares how a new generation of architecture students is using heritage conservation (even if they don't call it that) to help neighborhoods affected by structural racism and gentrification.

See episode page for photos, resources, and transcript.

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Photographer Sally Mann once said, “Photographs open doors to the past, but also allow a look into the future.” Photography is a key component of the historic documentation process. New graduate Sam Malnati (MHC/MUP ’25) delved into photography’s role in the field for her thesis, Contemporary Vision: Photography's Influence on Perception of Places in the Past.

In this episode, producer Willa Seidenberg talks with Sam about the history of photography and its use in the Historic American Buildings Survey, the differences between film and digital photography for historic documentation, and how researching the thesis helped Sam slow down and look at her world.

See episode page for photos, resources, and transcript.

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