As cities in America redevelop, they face challenges to citizens’ wellbeing, i.e. gentrification and sustainability concerns. In her new book, The Past and Future City author of the book as well as president and chief executive officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Stephanie Meeks makes the case for historic preservation which often takes slights from detractors as being only for wealthy, elite whites. Meeks addresses these concerns while still defending Historic Preservation as the best way forward for American cities. In the second chapter, featured below, Meeks describes three case studies of Washington, San Francisco, and Seattle. She breaks down what was successful in these cities and displays historic preservation as not just a novelty, but economically feasible and environmentally conscious. Read below to learn about Historic Preservation from an empirical, grounded standpoint that is interesting, accessible, and relevant for any person concerned about their neighborhood’s future to read.
David Hall is the Marketing and Publicity intern at Island Press.