The Past and Future City: How Historic Preservation is Reviving America's Communities

"Historic preservation preserves stories, drives economies, and values the earth." according to barefootmeg. Historic preservation holds the seeds of renewal. By rehabilitating and restoring buildings that are already imbued with history, character, and a deep sense of place, a community can reinvigorate a flagging economy, create a hub of pedestrian activity, reduce overall energy expenditures, and retain local dollars which in turn creates more jobs, more activity, and more of a sense of ownership throughout the community. Stephanie Meeks drills down into the overwhelmingly positive economic impacts that historic preservation and building reuse can hav. "Good Read" according to Amazon Customer. Stephanie Meeks does a good job articulating the arguments for preserving historic buildings within our urban cores. Historic preservation is a critical component to growth within our cities and adaptive reuse of existing real estate is one of the most environmentally friendly endeavors to expand our housing stock. I applaud her book, though wish it focused more on the good economics related to the Historic Tax Credit.. "This book belongs in every Historic Preservation Commissioner's library." according to Nancy J Morton. This book belongs in every Historic Preservation Commissioner's library. It is a contemporary reference for viable urban living today and tomorrow.

"With passion, conviction, and clarity, this book underlines the importance of celebrating all of America's rich and diverse history and makes a compelling case for preservation as the key urban planning tool of the twenty-first century. Here, Stephanie Meeks takes the case nationwide.". In Birmingham, we've seen firsthand how historic buildings rejuvenate neighborhoods

  This book is for anyone who cares about cities, places, and saving America’s diverse stories, in a way that will bring us together and help us better understand our past, present, and future. . Sometimes, as in the case of Baltimore’s historic rowhouses, the most distinguishing feature is the urban fabric itself. As cities across America experience a remarkable renaissance, and more and more young, diverse families choose to live, work, and play in historic neighborhoods, the promise and potential of using our older and historic buildings to revitalize our cities is stronger than ever.   In The Past and Future City, Stephanie Meeks, the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, describes in detail, and with unique empirical research, the many ways that saving and restoring historic fabric can help a city create thriving neighborhoods, good jobs, and a vibrant economy. Experts offer a range of theories on what is driving the return to the city—from the impact of the recent housing crisis to a desire to be socially engaged, live near work, and reduce automobile use. This book speaks directly to all of these issu