As Texas’ population increases and changes, preservation awareness becomes critical. Texans are proud of their state and heritage, however a preservation ethic is not widespread. Misconceptions about preservation mingle with strong property rights attitudes in rural and urban areas alike. In Texas, preservation is not widely known as a proven mechanism for economic development and community revitalization.
Issues to Explore
- Promoting preservation to mainstream audiences and stakeholders.
- Engaging organizations who impact preservation efforts (developers, real estate professionals, contractors, etc.).
- Separating the myths from realities of historic preservation.
Survey Says
- 99% of people who took the survey believe that preservation has direct benefits for their community.
- The number two threat identified by respondents is a lack of understanding of historic preservation by the general public.
- Providing education and training to the general public about preservation was the second most important approach to improve.
Expert Review
The 2010 Preservation Texas Summit explored this topic in the Growing Preservation Awareness roundtable.
The 2006 Preserve America Summit helped to educate people on the tools and value of historic preservation but it was also the subject of much discussion:
- Communicating the Importance of Preservation focused on simply spreading the word about preservation’s tangible and intangible values as well as expanding marketing strategies and the definition of heritage.
- Engaging the Public looked to make many designation processes simpler to create a greater use by the general public while also encouraging professional experts to become more accessible and engaging to the general public.
Resources
