Preservation Politics: Keeping Historic Districts Vital

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Youve established a historic district in your town! Now what Preservation Politics picks up where The Politics of Historic Districts leaves off, advising the established HPC on how to maintain momentum in their communities once the initial political campaign to win historic preservation designation has faded and the real work of enforcement begins.
Bill Schmickle goes beyond best practices to get to the political root of our district problems: a collective preference for putting preservation interests ahead of citizens and the larger public good. He argues that public service is the key to the long-term vitality of historic districts. Along the way, he takes on everyone who threatens district operations, from those who shirk responsibility and shred historic resources to those preservationists whose radicalism undermines public support. With wit and wisdom, this book shows that there may be no such thing as happily ever after, but historic preservation is worth the fight!

Reviews

For years, Bill Schmickle has forced us to take a hard look at how historic preservation works in the real world, and hes at it again. There are signs that the way preservationists have always done business may put us out of business. The world is changing, and Bill is our Paul Revere. -- Myrick Howard, president of Preservation North Carolina
Schmickle addresses compellingly the question that gnaws at every local historical district supporter: Why doesnt the community love us any more Drawing on examples from across the country to illustrate the plight of established historical districts, Schmickle uses trenchant prose laced with wisdom and wit to show how our historic districts can continue to survive and thrive. -- Gregory A. Stiverson, former president and CEO, Historic Annapolis Foundation

Author Bio

Bill Schmickle is a past chair of the Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission and was a cofounder of the Oak Ridge Historic District (North Carolina). He is author of The Politics of Historic Districts (AltaMira 2006).