John Ruskin on the moon
What artificial intelligence (AI) thinks of historic preservation Unless you've been sequestered over the past year, you've probably heard about the growing controversy on artificial intelligence (AI). A recent example…
It’s Not So Simple to Make Preservation Policy People-Centered
A Reparative Call to Change the Administrative Procedure Act Historic preservation is fundamentally a policy-based endeavor, driven by governmental laws, regulations, and guidelines. And because of this basis, it’s also…
Uncovering Structural Racism in Federal Preservation Policy: Racial/gender/professional purity
What is structural racism in relation to governmental policy? Since the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement, there has been increasing discussion on the role of structural racism in…
Presentations that address diversity/inclusion/relevancy in historic preservation policy
Before I left my position as an associate professor at the University of Maryland in May 2022, I created a curated list of YouTube conference presentations since 2020 that address…
10 Ways Historic Preservation Policy Supports White Supremacy and 10 Ideas to End It
Nearly two decades ago, I became deeply interested in how historic preservation doctrine, represented through orthodox preservation theory and expressed in international and national charters and rules, regulations, and guidelines,…
Natural resource conservation and historic preservation: Never the twain shall meet? A potential solution centered in equity and inclusion
As I was listening to the session on “A New Framework for Blended Conservation of the Built and Natural Environment” from PastForward 2020 (the US National Trust for Historic Preservation’s…
Cultural history vs. cultural significance: Confused local attempts at increasing diversity in the preservation ordinance
Recently, changes to the City of Denver’s Landmark Preservation Ordinance became effective to allow the designation of buildings and places that have “cultural significance.” This change is, in the words…
How US law is the cause of social justice issues in historic preservation practice
Social justice issues come in many forms, including the disproportionate impact that the Covid-19 virus and police brutality have had on African American populations. The law can be both a…
Local preservation ordinances: A one size fits all approach to social injustice
In a recent study, Avrami et al. (2018), found 86% of the local historic preservation ordinances sampled across the United States are nearly 100% derivative of the standards for significance…
“Challenges and Innovations Occurring in the Preservation Field”
The US-based National Trust for Historic Preservation is asking for input, via a survey on the "Challenges and Innovations Occurring in the Preservation Field." The survey asks some very useful…