11.4.1 Total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by source of funding (public, private), type of heritage (cultural, natural) and level of government (national, regional, and local/municipal)
The act of historic and cultural preservation serves as an important tool to create narratives within a built environment. These narratives are meant to shape a community’s understanding of both itself and those around them by appealing to the past, present, and future. By preserving historic and cultural sites, a community claims the land around them and thus are able to create specific interpretations of themselves and their identities. Thus, historic preservation is a vital aspect of public policy that all governments must contend with when making progress on sustainable cities and communities, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11. However, structural discrimination and exclusion of specific community groups often make equitable historic preservation efforts difficult, or limited. As a result, cities moving towards sustainable development practices must utilize a critical, inclusive approach when determining what landscapes, monuments, properties, etc. are determined to be historically or culturally significant to specific communities. This analysis will evaluate the historic preservation practices of Washington DC, Maryland (MD), and Virginia (VA) to assess whether or not this inclusive approach is both a priority and being implemented.
The role of history and heritage within a community is something that has been long debated by public policy and sociology scholars. A key component of preservation deals largely with the concept of cultural heritage itself, which is defined as “something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor,” meaning that preservation projects are often a reaction to change that threatens the legacy left behind by past events. As a result, the past inherently serves as a dictator for how a community presents themselves and preserves significant historical and cultural landmarks. In a society defined by a history of racial, ethnic, religious, and gender discrimination, this often means that these prejudices continue to influence contemporary preservation projects due to their embedded presence within the past itself. This is exhibited both in what narratives are presented or represented within a built environment, where these preservation projects are located within said environment, and who makes decisions on what sites are considered historically or culturally significant. For example, a city may choose to preserve buildings owned by wealthy, white property owners due to their aesthetically pleasing architecture, while places of historic significance for underrepresented communities may be skipped over, neglected, or destroyed due to a lack of support or recognition by preservation decision-making bodies, as they may stray from what is accepted as the dominant historical narrative.
To combat this requires a new mentality regarding preservation. Preservation projects must not only be seen as representations of the past, but also serve as instruments to give voice to underrepresented communities and raise awareness to issues that are often ignored by dominant narratives. Additionally, historic spaces must be considered multidimensional, in that multiple community groups may give different significance to the same space. As a result, inclusive research, planning, and management is essential to ensure that all voices are equally heard. However, these inclusive practices and new interpretations of the importance of cultural and historic sites cannot be implemented if the governing bodies responsible are too slow to change their practices, or if there is a lack of formal mechanisms to prevent the continuation of exclusive policies.
In the United States, historic preservation is managed largely by the US Department of the Interior, specifically the National Park Service (NPS), and key educational institutions like the Smithsonian. Through the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, historic and cultural sites deemed nationally significant receive funding through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), which provides grants to state and tribal preservation offices. HPF prioritizes maintaining a National Register of Historic Places, issuing regulations for state historic preservation programs, awarding state grants, and awarding matching grants to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit that provides grants nationwide for historic preservation projects. The National Trust emphasizes inclusive preservation practices through programs such as the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, Where Women Made History Program, and the Telling the Full History Preservation Fund.
In addition to the work by NPS and the National Trust, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is the other leadership body responsible for national-level preservation projects. ACHP is an independent federal agency with the mission of promoting, preserving, and enhancing the use of national historic resources. ACHP also advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy. ACHP is the body responsible for processing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires federal actors to consider potential impacts of projects on sites that may be of historic or cultural significance. As of the 2022 Strategic Plan, ACHP is prioritizing raising awareness and promoting projects that relate to the interests of Native Hawaiian and Indigenous organizations, in addition to increasing engagement with the public on Section 106 initiatives. This inclusive practice is paired with initiatives aimed at increasing climate resilience and conducting inclusive youth outreach.
Historic preservation in the United States has been an issue of interest since the late 18th Centuries, with grassroots movements and formal commissions advocating for the preservation of sites relevant to the founding of the nation, Native American archeological remains, and famous battlefields, to name a few. However, despite this long history of preservation efforts, the existence of slavery, expulsion of indigenous communities, and long standing gender inequalities have resulted in biased narratives, often dominated by white male voices. Even in the present, where inclusive preservation practices are quickly gaining traction, there is a significant lack of diversity within the field, with 99% of preservation practitioners identifying as White as of 2020. Without proper representation of minority voices in the preservation fields, it is much easier for white-dominated, often harmful narratives to continue, as the histories of minority groups are often erased or misrepresented.
To combat this exclusivity, there are several practices that governing bodies can utilize for equitable preservation efforts. First and foremost, normalizing and engaging with non-dominant historic preservation practices, such as oral retellings, will allow for specific communities to increase their voices within a shared space. Further, prioritizing the people related to a historic site, rather than a place itself, is another way of ensuring that the project properly represents and serves the needs of the actual community. Preservation projects should also be open to arguments over historical integrity, specifically as it relates to underrepresented communities’ misrepresentation, or concepts of land repatriation. Finally, prioritizing, encouraging, and distributing funding to address underrepresentation while also focusing on inclusive employment, leadership, and public engagement practices will also help increase equity within preservation practices.
To further showcase the role of state and local governments, organizations, and institutions in ensuring inclusive historic and cultural preservation, the following three case studies are presented below, with specific emphasis on initiatives geared towards underrepresented communities and increased general inclusivity and participation in preservation projects.
Washington, DC
As the nation’s capital, Washington, DC is a key center for historic preservation. However, aside from being the location of major Federal monuments, the diverse neighborhoods and lands within the Capital area have over four centuries of their own historic importance, which has led to several efforts to preserve key heritage sites. In DC, the primary office responsible for historical preservation and heritage sites is the DC Office of Planning, which utilizes several initiatives and partnerships with other organizations.
The primary policy document guiding the Office of DC Planning is the 2025 Historic Preservation Plan, which builds on the original Comprehensive Plan entitled Growing and Inclusive City: From Vision to Reality adopted in 2006 and updated in 2021. This plan outlined all local planning efforts ongoing in the DC area, including those related to historic preservation. The 2025 plan, entitled Celebrating Our Diversity, combines with two other preservation plans to encompass a span of thirteen years. These plans include the 2016 Enriching Our Heritage Plan and the 2020 Preserving for Progress Plan. The 2025 Plan’s theme, diversity, was selected to be in line with current national challenges regarding the history of civil rights and racial discrimination, particularly after the protests following the death of George Floyd.
For 2025, the key challenge to address is increasing diversity within DC. Based on community engagement during the plan’s development, there is demand for increased focus on native peoples, LGBTQ+ neighborhoods, historic sites related to slavery and the slave trade, African-American cultural centers, and Hispanic cultural and historical sites.To answer this demand, the 2025 plan consists of 12 goals divided into 4 categories:
Recognizing Historic Resources
- Explore new perspectives
- Evaluate resources in context
- Designate significant properties
Engaging Communities
- Tell community stories
- Speak out for preservation
- Advance archeology
Improving Protections
- Conserve neighborhoods
- Improve preservation systems
- Diversify preservation strategies
Maintaining Our Heritage
- Practice sustainable urbanism
- Reuse, adapt, and enhance
- Preserve campuses and landscapes
In general, historical preservation efforts in DC began in earnest after the Second World War, in which resident activism advocated for historic preservation after a series of modernist renewals, including the construction of several highways, held little regard for historic architecture or other heritage sites in Southwest DC. In 1973, the DC government adopted Home Rule, which allowed for residents to have more say in city development, with a focus on inclusive planning to address historic inequities. Through a series of zoning and housing laws, including the 1978 Historic District Protection Act, DC has created some of the most extensive preservation laws in the country, with specific standards for renovation and construction in historic areas and requirements to preserve historic exteriors, including a submission of any alteration plans to historic properties to the Historic Preservation Review Board.
Preservationists in Washington DC have several eras of history to contend with. Tracing back to 2,000 years ago, the area is home to archeological remains from the Nacotchtanke or Nacostan tribes, who inhabited the land along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. The beginning of colonization in the 16th and 17th centuries brought Europeans and African slaves to the region, resulting in decades of conflict through the 1700s, when what would become DC was part of England’s Maryland frontier. The city further developed throughout the 1800s as it gained status as the nation’s capital, with the construction of federal buildings such as the General Post Office and Treasury, and served as a key battleground area during the Civil War. Throughout the end of the 19th through the mid 20th Century, DC continued to modernize into a city representative of the American Empire. As the city has continued to expand, particularly in regard to population and housing demands, diverse neighborhoods developed through the 21st Century, giving us the rich character the city has today.
While preservation has always been a focus in city planning tracing back through the past two centuries, efforts to protect historical and cultural heritage sites expanded significantly from 1900 through the 1980s, particularly after the creation of the Georgetown Historic District in 1950. As a result, DC boasts 756 historic landmarks and 70 historic districts, which comprise over 27,000 buildings and 10,000 acres. Additionally, 642, or 75%, of 826 properties listed in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, 75 of which are National Historic Landmarks. Further, DC has 37 neighborhood-specific historic districts, as a result of the 1978 DC Historic Landmark and Historic District Protection Act, including Logan Circle, Capitol Hill, Anacostia, Massachusetts Avenue, Foggy Bottom, and U Street.
Leading the preservation efforts throughout the 2025 plan in partnership with the DC Planning Office are a network of local, national, and regional organizations. At the DC government level, there is the DC Historic Preservation Office (DCHPO), which acts as the stewardship body of historic and cultural resources in DC. DCHPO is a part of the Office of Planning and includes the Historic Preservation Review Board, and is the office responsible for implementing federal preservation programs, local planning and protection efforts, and public education campaigns. The Historic Preservation Review Board consists of representatives appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the DC Council, who advises the government and public organizations on preservation initiatives.
At the national level, government agencies such as the National Park Service, US Commission of Fine Arts, and National Trust for Historic Preservation implement federal programs and preservation protection efforts. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers coordinates federal and state government officials who lead preservation efforts, while Preservation Action and the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions deal with grassroots lobby efforts and local organizations dedicated to historical and cultural preservation. In DC, these local organizations include the National Capital Planning Commission, which is the central body responsible for federal land and building planning in the National Capital Region, and the Old Georgetown Board, which reviews and advises activities related to exterior construction in the Georgetown neighborhood. Other major nonprofits in the DC area who partner with the DC Office of Planning include the DC History Center, Committee of 100 on the Federal City, DC Preservation League, Humanities DC, the District Architecture Center, and Cultural Tourism DC.
Currently, Humanities DC, the DC Preservation League, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation all offer grants to fund preservation projects, and will play a key partnership role with the DC Office of Planning throughout the 2025 plan in funding the development of new cultural heritage sites and supporting projects related to expanding research and awareness of the history and culture of traditionally disadvantaged groups, including women, ethnic minorities, and racial minorities. Further, the DCHPO leads the DC Community Heritage Project in partnership with Humanities DC, in which local professionals present two educational symposia on specific preservation-related topics, with awards of up to $5,000 for local groups or projects that expand community heritage preservation efforts. DCHPO also releases an annual report detailing the successes and remaining challenges related to ongoing preservation initiatives.
As of 2021, DCHPO has issued over 150 grants for historic and cultural preservation, totaling over $300,000. Current key areas of focus for the next few years going into the 2025 plan will continue to be focusing on the historic and cultural preservation projects of traditionally disadvantaged communities. This includes exploring projects relevant to DC Asian and Pacific Islander heritage, assisting low-and-moderate income homeowners who live in historic buildings with preservation efforts, documenting the women’s suffrage movement in DC, designating eight new landmarks relevant to LGBTQ history, and launching the Kingman Park story map as part of the online 20th Century Civil Rights Tour. DCHPO has also worked with local nonprofits and partnership organizations to prepare new heritage guides for historic neighborhoods, increasing community outreach and education, and exploring archeology programs.
Maryland
Similar to DC, Maryland’s governmental efforts for historical preservation are led by the Department of Planning’s Maryland Historic Trust (MHT). MHT oversees state-wide preservation efforts, including the Preserve Maryland II plan, the state-wide preservation plan for 2019-2023 that responds to public feedback requesting an increased incorporation of racial equity and social justice into current preservation projects. MHT was founded in 1961, the trust is led by a Director and State Historic Preservation Officer and governed by a 15-member Board of Trustees. MHT simultaneously serves as the State Historic Preservation Office, which implements federal preservation programs at the state level. MHT consists of four internal offices: The Office of Research, Survey and Registration, The Office of Planning, Education, and Outreach, The Office of Preservation Services, and the Office of Archeology.
Currently, Maryland manages 13 locally designated heritage areas encompassing 23 counties. In an effort to increase diversity and equity in their preservation programs, MHT launched several initiatives such as the 2020 Racial Equity Working Group, which brings together representatives from MHT’s Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA), the Coalition of Maryland Heritage Areas, and the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives. MHT has also participated in the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion sector of the Maryland Adaption Framework. MHT also engages in national partnerships with the National Park Service (NPS) Underrepresented Community Grant Program, the National Trust for Historic Preservation African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, as well as the Maryland African American Heritage Preservation Program, which is administered by the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. MHT also publishes annual reports outlining their yearly progress within the context of the larger state-wide preservation plans.
The 2019-2023 preservation plan identifies five goals to further strengthen historic preservation in Maryland: Connecting to Broader Audiences, Improve the Framework for Preservation, Expand and Update Documentation, Build Capacity and Strengthen Networks, and Collaborate Toward Shared Objectives. The plan also divides Maryland into seven regions: Western Maryland, Central Maryland, DC Metro, Baltimore Metro, Upper Bay, Eastern Shore, and Southern Maryland. According to the plan, Maryland has 72 National Historic Landmarks and 1572 properties in the National Register of Historic Places
Under the 2019-2023 preservation plan, MHT offers the Maryland Historic Revitalization Tax Credit Program, which encourages private sector investment in the rehabilitation and reuse of historic buildings. In 2022, Governor Hogan passed the Competitive Commercial Revitalization Tax Credit, which provides $20,000,000 annual for the fiscal years 2023-2031 for competitive commercial projects and raises the cap on Qualified Rehabilitation Expenditures to over $5,000,000. In conjunction, Governor Hogan passed the Small Commercial Revitalization Tax Credit, which provides an appropriation of $2,000,000 annually for the fiscal years 2024-2031 for small commercial projects. Homeowners of historic buildings also qualify for tax credits through the Historic Revitalization Tax Credit Program.
In addition to tax credits, MHT offers five grant funding opportunities for historical preservation in the state. As mentioned above, Maryland Heritage Areas and the African American Heritage Grants provide a combined total of $1.5 million in funding annually. In addition, the Certified Local Governments Grants assists local governments in partnership with NPS in historical preservation efforts. Finally, MHT utilizes a Historic Preservation Grant for all other projects. These grants are split into two categories: Non-Capital, which focuses on research, survey, planning and educational projects involving architecture, archeology, or culture, and Capital Grants, which focus on projects that acquire, restore, and/or rehabilitate historic properties. MHT also offers an easement program, which partners non profit organizations and homeowners to safeguard historic homes, farmsteads, and archeological sites.
Beyond government preservation efforts, several organizations also focus on historic and cultural heritage sites within the states. The most notable of these organizations is Preservation Maryland, an organization founded in 1931 that has focused on many historical preservation projects through providing grants, managing construction and rehabilitation projects, coordinating professional development and education programs, and lobbying for historic and cultural preservation in Maryland state government bodies. Preservation Maryland also parted with MHT to create the Historic Revitalization Tax Credit Program. Preservation Maryland has conducted multiple studies on projects related to specific communities, including LGBTQ+ heritage and raising awareness for the history of labor, particularly historic trades.
Other preservation efforts include the University of Maryland’s Historic Preservation Program within its School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. Additionally, organizations such as the Neighborhood Design Center have executed projects in the Baltimore metro area and Bladensburg focus on historic preservation within the Black communities to reshape historical narratives that are often dominated by White perspectives. Many localities within the state also have their own historical preservation organizations and commissions, including Montgomery County, Calvert County, and Northern Arundel, to name a few.
Virginia
In Virginia, historic and cultural preservation is maintained by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (VADHR). Similar to DC and Maryland, Virginia utilizes a strategic plan to guide preservation efforts across the state. Currently, VADHR is working off of the 2022-24 Strategic Plan, in which there are five goals: achieve full inclusion in historic preservation through embedding equality and inclusivity into agency culture, identify, evaluate, and recognize the significance of Virginia’s archaeological, architectural, and cultural historic resources, provide incentives, guidance, and tools to preserve and protect these resources, manage financial and physical assets to support and sustain historic preservation, and educate and disseminate information about the importance of Virginia’s archaeological, architectural, and cultural historic resources. To implement this plan, VADHR receives an annual appropriation of around $3.3 million after an initial $8 million appropriation.
In addition to this plan, VADHR released Virginia’s Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2027 in correlation with the VA Department of Transportation’s Six-Year Improvement Plan This plan combines public feedback from pre-existing preservation plans and a survey conducted in 2020 to inform the development of a new trajectory for VADHR. As a result, the plan emphasizes Virginia’s significance for American history between the 16th and 19th centuries, specifically the Colonial and Civil War periods.
To improve Virginia preservation efforts, VADHR utilizes several forms of preservation grants. Since 2014, VADHR has administered over $17 million in grants on behalf of the Department of the Interior, NPS, and the Virginia General Assembly, with a specific emphasis on diversity. Similar to Maryland, VA utilizes the NPS Underrepresented Communities and African American Civil Rights grants. In 2021, for example, VADHR notably received $46,970 from NPS to conduct public outreach events and collect oral histories to update St. Paul’s College National Register nomination, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) institution. Further, VADHR has also benefited from the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief for Historic Properties Grant Program and the Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund for Hurricanes Michael and Florence.
At the state level, preservation grants include funding for the preservation of African American graves and cemeteries and the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund VBPF) for projects related to the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War. Notably, VADHR terminated funding to the United Daughters of the Confederacy to maintain Confederate graves in 2022. VADHR also utilizes easements and a Certified Local Government program to ensure successful preservation efforts at the local level, in addition to a state-level Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Historic Preservation Fund for local projects. As of 2022, Virginia boasts 121 National Historic Landmarks, 3,269 listings in the National Register of Historic Places, three National Heritage Areas, five National Trails, two National Parks, and one UNESCO World Heritage Site, which consists of Minticello and The Lawn at the University of Virginia.
Beyond government efforts, there are multiple private and non-profit organizations that provide funds and other support for historic and cultural preservation projects. Preservation Virginia, similar to Preservation Maryland, provides preservation funds, educational resources, and conducts advocacy to protect historical places. Key projects of Preservation Virginia include the Revolving Fund Program, Rosenwald School Architectural Survey, Tobacco Barns Preservation Project, Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Places Program, and the Historic Preservation Awards, recognizing successful preservation efforts each year. Other organizations that provide funds for historic preservation funds in Virginia include the Commonwealth History Fund, administered by the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, which awards $400,000 in grants annually, and the Virginia Heritage Fund, administered by the Community Foundation, which offers funding for projects by museums, libraries, archives, and historical societies.
Locally, there are multiple historic preservation commissions or organizations that address projects at the county or town level. These include Arlington County’s Historic Preservation Master Plan, Richmond’s Historic Preservation Plans, Clarke County’s Historic Preservation Commission. Additionally, the University of Virginia also has a historic preservation program for those studying in the School of Architecture.
Conclusion
Overall, increasing diversity and inclusion within historic and cultural preservation is a key goal for DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Each of these three jurisdictions have the significant of being located in the heart of American history, and each has a robust number of historic, cultural, and heritage sites that are important at the national level, but also each have a plethora of sites relevant to local history and local communities. As such, these governments must not only work to expand diversity and inclusion in their preservation projects, but they also must balance federal and local projects to ensure that as many stories representative of American culture and history are properly portrayed. As a key indicator of SDG 11, equitable cultural and historic preservation is an important component of developing sustainable and just cities and communities. As the United States continues to grapple with achieving this goal, particularly as it relates to social equity and justice for traditionally disadvantaged minorities, it will be essential for federal, state, and local jurisdictions alike to ensure that their historic and cultural narratives reflect diversity just as well as policies addressing current challenges.