Recently, Patrice Frey, President of the National Main Street Center, wrote a post on Citylab about “Why Historic Preservation Needs a New Approach.” While I very much agree with most of her points, there are many issues (and potential solutions) that she misses. First of all, I wholeheartedly agree...
Future of conservation
Human-Centered Built Environment Heritage Preservation
It is with great excitement that I share the publication of my new book, co-edited with Barry Stiefel, Human-Centered Built Environment Heritage Preservation: Theory and Evidence-Based Practice, which was officially released by Routledge last week. (Google Books link here.) The official description is as follows: Human-Centered Built Environment Heritage...
Disasters, resiliency, and built heritage
I would like to share the work of one of my students, Jamesha Gibson, who recently graduated with a Masters in Historic Preservation and a Master of Community Planning from the University of Maryland. She just published “From Engagement to Empowerment: How Heritage Professionals Can Incorporate Participatory Methods in Disaster...
A successful example of a grassroots, justice-oriented built heritage conservation project
A recent preservation effort in England is well worth the time to understand because it relates so strongly to the future of the field. But, it’s who led these efforts that’s remarkable: it wasn’t preservationists/conservationists, but rather skateboarders. And we could learn a lot from their lesson. You’ll understand...
CEQ wants to change the NEPA rules for the first time in a generation: My modest proposal
In August of last year, President Trump issued Executive Order 13807 directing the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), a division of the Executive Office of the President, to review rules related to the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, which are 40 CFR parts 1500-1508. The...
An archaeological debate on challenging the status quo and why we need more discussion like this
The academy is well known for its production of silos; researchers who ought to share similar perspectives and knowledge in many cases rarely collaborate with each other. There are many reasons for this situation, which I will not explore here, but in terms of heritage, a good example is...
What is Critical Heritage Studies and how does it incorporate the discipline of history?
At the recent meeting of the US chapter of the Association for Critical Heritage Studies, a frequent question, especially from graduate students, was “what is critical heritage studies”? There was a wide range of responses to this question, often from disciplinary perspectives, which should not be surprising given the...
Comment on NR Bulletin update
The National Park Service has requested public comments on a proposed update to the “National Register Bulletin: How to Prepare National Historic Landmark Nominations.” (Deadline of May 1, 2017.) I am sharing the comment that I left, which focuses on the need to update the bulletin to move beyond...
Leadership in “people-centered preservation” — who seems to get it and who does not
Those of you who read my blog know that I have a strong interest in balancing the practice of the conservation of the built environment and cultural landscapes between what we objectively know (e.g., historic facts; things we can photograph, measure) and meanings (e.g., intangible heritage). All of this...
The Heritage After Trump Award ($1,000 if your idea wins — Jan 10 deadline)
Thomas King, a well-known author and critic of the cultural resource management system in the United States, has created a contest in which the best idea to replace the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) will win $1,000. I (along with other historic...