To encourage historic preservation, communities and individuals can provide incentives, impose regulations, offer help and support to those engaged in preservation or for it, educate the public, and engage in advocacy. These measures are often successful.
Every community holds valuable pieces of its past - places, buildings, and objects that preserve a sense of place and heritage. When these structures are threatened by demolition, decay, or destructive renovation, preservationists mobilize public opinion to save them. The preservation of older buildings is a responsible way to reduce energy use, conserve materials, and minimize pollution. Many jurisdictions have adopted adaptive reuse ordinances that incentivize or streamline the process of renovating existing structures for new uses. Historic preservation of buildings, neighborhoods, archeological sites and landscapes adds to a community's understanding of its history, and brings benefits to the community. The regulations that govern historic preservation vary from place to place, but the primary tools local governments use to protect historic resources are zoning standards and ordinances that support historic districts or require demolition review. There are a number of different kinds of help available to encourage historic preservation, from education programs in schools to restoration work by private homeowners. These efforts are often combined with community-based heritage tourism campaigns or neighborhood revitalization efforts. Preservation commissions, with varying levels of authority, are often established to protect historic properties from destruction or inappropriate alteration. They may be given a veto over development or rehabilitation projects, make recommendations to other governmental bodies, or be required to review plans submitted to them. Communities can also promote and publicize the importance of historic resources by creating a website or by spreading information through media stories, newsletters, or other channels. These efforts can be successful, especially when they are done in concert with other methods of encouraging historic preservation. Federal and state governments also have responsibilities under the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires that all projects, whether federal or state-funded, must involve full consultation with interested parties. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs), federally recognized Indian tribes or tribal historic preservation officers, Native Hawaiian organizations, and local governments are among the entities that may participate in Section 106 reviews. Educators face a growing challenge to make history and heritage meaningful to students. Funding for field trips to historic sites has been slashed across the country, and many teachers are unable to use their school libraries to explore heritage topics. Fortunately, there are several free, ready-to-use lesson plans that can be used to teach about heritage and historic places in schools. Using these, educators can enliven a variety of classroom subjects with historical photographs, maps, primary source readings, and suggestions for activities at historic sites. Graduates of historic preservation programs are often able to find employment immediately upon graduation, in fields such as archaeology, city planning, museum curatorship, building restoration, and cultural resource management. The Department of Historic Preservation maintains a job bank that is continually updated with internship and full-time jobs for which graduates are eligible. Preservation of historic resources, buildings, or artifacts preserves the connection between a community and its past. It is important to encourage historic preservation because it helps a community retain its identity and sense of place, especially as the population grows and suburban development spreads out. Advocacy for historic preservation can take many forms, from public education and educating people about their rights to working with political leaders in Congress. The best advocates have a strong understanding of the issues and a willingness to work hard to see those issues through. The National Trust for Historic Preservation provides a variety of resources to help preserve history and heritage in communities across the country. These resources include the Historic Preservation Advocacy Guide, the HOPE Crew program, and History Corps, which brings volunteers together to help with local preservation projects.
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