Historic preservation involves safeguarding buildings, landscapes, archaeological sites and other cultural resources that reflect America’s national story.
Nurturing public support for preservation efforts is integral to its success, so education on its value must take place so people can get involved.
Documentation
Historical buildings are an invaluable part of our culture. Their architecture and sculptures reveal much about our ancestors’ lifestyle and serve as invaluable resources for historians and archaeologists.
Unfortunately, these sites can often be under threat. Aside from natural causes of destruction, human threats such as inappropriate tourism, war and looting also threaten these precious spaces. To preserve these places before they’re lost forever it is crucial that documentation take place as quickly as possible.
Laws and policies of a country can also aid in protecting historical places. For instance, France has implemented policies designed to ensure new developments don’t destroy these precious historic buildings.
Media can play an invaluable role in encouraging the protection of historical sites and buildings, with travel magazines publishing articles that draw people into visiting historic buildings, as well as encouraging them to join preservation movements and persuading governments to take actions towards protecting historical sites and buildings.
Promotion
Historical places refers to any building, sculpture, monument, garden, ship remains, archaeological site or precinct associated with an earlier time period. They reveal the culture and traditions of our ancestors and are an invaluable source of knowledge – hence it’s so essential that they’re documented and shared with everyone around the globe.
Propagating these places is also vitally important; when people care about history, they’re more likely to stand up for its preservation in the present and future. Registering an historic place on the National Register of Historic Places can be a powerful way of doing just this while also getting some protection against federal projects.
Protecting these sites against environmental changes is also essential, as environmental shifts can pose significant threats. Subways can produce vibrations which damage buildings and sites. Climate change brings floods, acid rain, earthquakes, and tornadoes – posing serious threats to their preservation.
Advocacy
At the core of it all lies building community commitment to historical places preservation – this involves engaging people and stirring interest and excitement about historic resources through advocacy activities and other means.
Advocacy goes beyond speaking with legislators – though that is a crucial element of it – it involves informing and engaging the public on the importance of heritage resources, while encouraging them to take action either at local meetings or voting booths.
Most heritage buildings and sites rely on various levels of government for funding to undertake building conservation projects, collections management tasks, staffing requirements, and other operational needs. Open historic places also need support from their communities in order to survive and thrive — for instance attracting visitors who help sustain small businesses, foster social enterprises and charities to relocate nearby, as well as ensure well-maintained spaces where families can learn and grow together.
Environmental Responsibility
Historic preservation not only preserves local history, but can also have important environmental benefits. Historic sites may use less energy and resources to maintain than modern structures since most are already constructed; less infrastructure development needs are also reduced with historic preservation projects. Furthermore, historic preservation can help combat urban sprawl which consumes thousands of acres of forests, farmland, and wetlands for commercial development projects.
However, property owners do not always prioritize environmental responsibility when making decisions for their properties. A lack of conservation work accelerates the natural decline of heritage properties over time while poor infrastructure creates physical risks to visitors as well as an atmosphere of neglect that diminishes visitors’ enjoyment of cultural landmarks [1].
The environmental movement is becoming more organized, with an expanding array of organizations operating both regionally and worldwide. Although they hold varied political viewpoints, all aim to address issues related to climate change; some even utilize historic preservation as a strategy to lower environmental impact.
