Description
Book SynopsisThe Historic District Action Guide: From Designation Campaigns to Keeping Districts Vital is a results-oriented, straight-talking guide for local activists, professionals, and preservation commissions committed to winning and maintaining local historic districts. Its political approach focuses on the crucial challenges of gaining and sustaining community and local governmental support for historic district regulations. This how-to guide gives citizens who are fighting to designate a local historic district the political know-how to win the support of fellow residents and city hall. Everything is here: learning to think politically, mastering the political process; planning and strategy; campaign organizing and leadership; framing a practical vision; anticipating and handling the opposition; conducting community meetings; skirmishing with property rightists; managing issues, petitions, and public opinion; dealing with public officials; strategizing for public hearings; and winning the vote for district designation. Once the vote is won, the Action Guide shows 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.
Trade ReviewIn The Historic District Action Guide, Bill Schmickle provides communities and citizens with practical, accessible, and realistic advice for implementing and maintaining a historic district. The Guide doesn't dodge or hide the hard issues, and recognizes the essential politics of the process. -- Thompson M. Mayes, Vice President and Senior Counsel, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Written to inspire you, the local preservation advocate, to undertake the challenging work of creating a local historic district, William E. Schmickle’s book features short, informative chapters containing real world examples, from across the nation. Read this if you want to WIN your fight to designate a local historic district and maintain it for decades to come. -- Donna Ann Harris, Principal, Heritage Consulting Inc. Philadelphia PA
Schmickle makes it clear that a historic district, once formed, takes on a life of its own beyond the control of those responsible for its creation. Nonetheless, the author provides a guide for the journey to designation - a journey filled with controversy, politics, and community engagement. -- Katie Rispoli Keaotamai, Executive Director, We Are the Next
Table of ContentsIntroduction: What D’ya Know? Part I: Preservation & the Politics of Historic District Designation 1.Before You Take Another Step 2.Thinking Politically about Historic District Designation 3.How It Starts 4.A Walk through the Designation Process: A Guided Tour with Planner Kaye Graybeal Part II: Campaign Strategy 5.On Planning and Strategy 6.Our Strategic Line: A Community in/within Conflict 7.Makers, Breakers, Takers, and Shapers: The Political Field of Play 8.Leadership and Organization 9.Working with a Local Historical Society: A Conversation with Historic Annapolis’ Greg Stiverson 10.A Practical Vision 11.Gentrification and Social Justice: An Exchange with the University of Georgia’s James Reap 12.Thinking Politically about Design Guidelines 13.It’s Personal 14.Sticks and Stones Part III: Campaigning in the Community 15.The Campaign Kickoff 16.Twitter Campaigning 17.Community Meeting Arrangements 18.Your Community Presentation 19.FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions 20.Thinking Politically about Q&A: The Moving Pattern of Opponents’ Challenges 21.Our Reframing Q&A Strategy 22.Answering Opposition Questions I: From “Distrust of Them” to the “Pivotal Shift” 23.Answering Opposition Questions II: From the “Pivotal Shift” to “Distrust of Us” 24.Property-Rights Extremists 25.Petition Politics 26.Reaching Out to the Opposition Part IV: Managing the Formal Designation Process 27.Moving on to City Hall: Preparing for Commission Hearings 28.Behind-the-Scenes Intelligence 29.Working with the Press: Guidance from a Reporter 30.A Civic Vision 31.The Top Tier of Local Government Part V: Winning the City Council Vote 32.The Politics of Public Hearings 33.Lobbying City Hall: A Conversation with a Lobbyist 34.Speaking Mayor to Mayor: A Dialogue with Charleston’s Joseph P. Riley. Jr. 35.A Checklist for One-on-One Meetings 36.Our Public Hearing Presentation 37.The Politics of Compromise 38.Winning the Vote Part VI: The Politics of Administering the Historic District 39.Our Transition to the HPC 40.On Public Service 41.Our Community Compact for Rooted Growth 42.Drawing up Our Design Guidelines: Tackling the Problem with Consultant Peter Benson 43.Fusion Preservation: Thinking like a Districtist 44.Political Maintenance: Delivering Good Government Part VII: Political Demolition by Neglect 45.Dispositional Gatekeeping 46.The Temptation of Administrative Legalism 47.Municipal Neglect 48.The View from City Council: A Talk with a Council Member 49.Districts under Threat 50.State-Level Interventions Part VIII: Navigating the Municipal Administration 51.The Role of Your Preservation Planner: A Discussion with Raleigh’s Dan Becker 52.Relations with Your Mayor: The Views of a Mayor’s Adviser Part IX: The Politics of Aging Historic Districts 53.The Crisis of Second-Generation Districts 54.OIMBYism 55.Getting Helpful Local Coverage: The Perspectives of a Newspaper Executive Editor 56.Our New Strategic Line 57.A New Political Who’s Who: An Overview 58.Who’s Who, Part One: District Rooters 59.Who’s Who, Part Two: District Rotters 60.Confronting Polarizers 61.Gentrification’s Dissidents: On Displacement with Baltimore’s Eric Holcomb Part X: District Decline and Its Reversal 62.Political Personalities: Who Leads? 63.The Stages of Declining Districts 64.The Politics of Decision Making: Defensible and Defendable 65.Enforcement: The Third Rail of Historic District Politics 66.The Politics of Appeals 67.Choosing Our Battles Part XI: Repairing Our Community Compact 68.Transformative Education 69.Reconstructive Programs 70.Institutionalizing Community Relations 71.Renewal through Revising Design Guidelines 72.A Preservation Plan? Looking Ahead with Consultant Elizabeth Watson 73.Our Sustaining Vision Epilogue
