Rationale
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Issues in Preservation Policy"This volume evolved from a symposium in February 2019 that centered on questions of preservation and social inclusion. The symposium examined how multiple publics are—or are not—represented in heritage decision-making, geographies, and policy structures. It follows a previous symposium and publication, Preservation and the New Data Landscape, which examined how the preservation enterprise is engaging, shaping, learning from, and capitalizing on the new landscape of urban data to forge evidence-based research, co-produce knowledge with communities, and inform policy agendas. A key theme of this previous inquiry was the need for preservation to ask better questions in order to tell better stories, “stories that represent the diversity of our communities, stories that redress spatial and social inequities, and stories that reflect our collective agency in promoting a sustainable environment.”
To prompt this subsequent inquiry, we asked participants to consider the following questions:
How are diverse narratives and communities being represented or excluded through preservation?
Who is participating in preservation processes, and how can preservation decision-making better engage multiple publics?
What are the effects of preservation policies and processes on communities?"
[Closing of the Introduction]
Issues in Preservation Policy is freely accessible digitally through Columbia's GSAPP website. -
National Trust for Historic Preservation: When Does Preservation Become Social Justice?"This summer Preservation Leadership Forum will publish a series of blog posts that respond to the question: When does Historic Preservation Become Social Justice? We hope that these posts will push readers to think broadly about our work to save historic places and how it connects to intersectionality and inclusion."
[Introduction to blog series] -
Inclusive Historian's Handbook"This dynamic reference source supports inclusive and equity-focused historical work in public settings by:
Sharing a knowledge base that invites more people to engage in history projects.
Providing concrete examples of how to make history work more relevant.
Centering equity, inclusivity, diversity, and public service.
Offering accessible windows into the many ways public historians work."
"The Handbook provides easily accessible information for historians working in multiple contexts. Authored by field experts, the entries combine practical advice with critical reflections and telling examples. Because it is a multi-authored project, it does not speak with a single, authoritative voice. Rather, authors offer their perspectives and share ideas and recommendations drawn from experiences in the field."
"The Handbook is for individuals and groups engaged in historical work in a wide range of settings—not just paid professionals or academic scholars. It is intended to provide community groups, educators, museum professionals (paid and unpaid), students, scholars, activists, historical societies, preservationists, archivists, and others with easy-to-find information that is directly applicable to inclusive history practice. We hope that the content is accessible to all people who are doing historical work, including those who may not identify as historians."
[Excerpt from the Inclusive Historian's Handbook: https://inclusivehistorian.com/about/] -
Society for Architectural Historians Statement on The Removal of Monuments to the Confederacy from Public Spaces"The Society of Architectural Historians supports and encourages the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces. In its eighty-year history, SAH has never before advocated for the direct removal of any historical resource, let alone listed monuments..."
[Excerpt from the statement] -
Race and Historic Preservation: The Case for Mainstreaming Asian American and Pacific Islander American Historic Sites
The year 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act, the cornerstone of historic preservation policy and practice in the United States. The act established the National Register of Historic Places, a national system of state preservation offices and local commissions, set up federal partnerships between states and tribes, and led to the formation of the standards for preservation and rehabilitation of historic structures. This book marks its fiftieth anniversary by collecting fifty new and provocative essays that chart the future of preservation.
The commentators include leading preservation professionals, historians, writers, activists, journalists, architects, and urbanists. The essays offer a distinct vision for the future and address related questions, including, Who is a preservationist? What should be preserved? Why? How? What stories do we tell in preservation? How does preservation contribute to the financial, environmental, social, and cultural well-being of communities? And if the "arc of the moral universe... bends towards justice," how can preservation be a tool for achieving a more just society and world? -
The planned destruction of Chinatowns in the United States and Canada since c.1900
Unlike virtually all other old immigrant enclaves in North American cities, the historic downtown Chinatowns of big cities in the United States and Canada largely survive, though not for lack of plans to destroy them. City Beautiful era plans, development projects, and other public and private interventions displaced or sought to eradicate Chinatowns, from Los Angeles to Victoria to Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. Urban renewal era projects destroyed large portions of many Chinatowns, and some entirely. This article traces these broad patterns and trends of planned and realized destruction and preservation across 15 of the major cities in twentieth-century Canada and the United States.
Best Practices
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National Trust for Historic Preservation: Preservation and Inclusion"Today’s preservation movement recognizes the need for a more complete, inclusive representation of communities across the nation, which are increasingly socio-economically, racially, ethnically, culturally, and generationally diverse. Preservation efforts must prioritize inclusion in order to tell an accurate and comprehensive story—and to remain relevant. This work of examining and changing preservation practice, from storytelling to community engagement, will lead to a more inclusive preservation program."
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Advisory Council on Historic Preservation"The changing demographics of America pose opportunities as well as challenges for the national historic preservation program. The diversity of cultures in our country shape and enrich the American experience, and the federal government can continue to encourage wider involvement and representation in determining what historic sites are worthy of recognition and preservation; how history and cultural heritage should be valued, interpreted, and preserved; and how we can ensure the American public as a whole can take advantage of the programs and tools created under the National Historic Preservation Act. The ACHP is pursuing efforts in all aspects of its work to build a more inclusive preservation program."
[From Introduction]