Ashley Hahn is a researcher and writer working at the intersection of public life, public space, and public history. She began teaching historic preservation studios at Weitzman in 2023.
In 2019, Ashley won the inaugural Adele Chatfield-Taylor Rome Prize in Historic Preservation from the American Academy in Rome for her ongoing research about preservation and public space. She was also awarded a 2021-2022 ICCROM fellowship in Rome to continue that research. Her work in the field of historic preservation includes restoration construction management for the Historic Properties Fund, a nonprofit revolving-loan fund housed at the New York Landmarks Conservancy. She has worked at the National Park Service Northeast Regional Office and contributed to several research projects, including a 2016 PennPraxis survey of Philadelphia’s historic religious buildings.
Ashley has also worked extensively in public-interest journalism about the built and natural environment. She was managing editor and a columnist for PlanPhilly, an online news project about Philadelphia urbanism incubated at PennPraxis (now at WHYY). She has contributed to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s editorial and opinion pages and was a staff writer at Metroland in upstate New York, where her work won an award for environmental reporting.
She is the local volunteer organizer for Jane's Walk, an annual global weekend of free, public walks honoring the legacy of famed urbanist and writer Jane Jacobs.
Master of Science in Historic Preservation, University of Pennsylvania
Master of City Planning, University of Pennsylvania
Bachelor of Arts, Skidmore College (Philosophy and Government)
