Join UMass LARP for "The Once and Future New England Mill Town," a Zube Lecture Presented by John Mullin, a Professor Emeritus of regional planning and former director of the Center for Economic Development at UMass Amherst. The talk will be held on Thursday, October 29th, at 4:00 p.m. in the John W. Olver Design Building Lecture Hall (room 170). Admission is free and open to the public. Snacks and drinks will be provided. A recording of this lecture will be posted to UMass LARP's YouTube channel after the event. About the Talk This lecture is divided into three parts. Part one traces the planning and evolution of New England industrial towns from the time of the creation of Puritan and Colonial Era based communities (1636-1790), through to the building of the Slater Mill villages in Southern New England (1790-1820's, and the rise and fall of the Lowell-Waltham mill system (1823-1923). Part two then shifts to the planning and creation of the of the Gun-Belt towns that clustered along the Connecticut River in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont (1850-1990). At this point virtually all mill communities entered into serious decline. Professor Mullin will concisely describe why this occurred. Finally, Part three shows how planners ever so slowly have been able to successfully plan for the recovery of tens of these place. About the Speaker John R. Mullin, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus of regional planning and the past director of the Center for Economic Development at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is also the former UMass Vice Chancellor for community Outreach and Dean of the Graduate School. He is a charter fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners. Professor Mullin's research and professional interests focus upon the revitalization of industrial communities, port development and downtown planning. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Mullin has lectured in eighteen countries. Concerning academic research, his work has appeared in more than one hundred scholarly publications. Professor Mullin, a recipient of the Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Award, continues to teach a class in the Honor's Program entitled "The Once and Future New England Mill Town."