Including Preservation in Planning

Abstract

Problem, research strategy, and findings: The intersection of historic preservation and urban planning has advanced over the years. Revitalization has been a central theme for this intersection, but the literature has not yet analyzed how a comprehensive plan-a crucial planning tool for growth and development-has included preservation. In this study, I investigate how the city of Portland (OR) integrated historic preservation into its comprehensive plan, focusing on the 1993 Albina Community Plan. Portland developed a comprehensive plan considering several scales, resulting in an array of documents released over the years. Through a neo-institutional analysis, I look at these documents to understand 1) the underlying institutions-such as compliance procedures, formal rules, and operating practices-that frame preservation policies within a comprehensive plan and 2) the approach to preservation implied in these policies. The findings show how including preservation into planning is structured by different levels of government, developed through an array of documents covering different scales, and is part of an effort to enhance the vitality of neighborhoods. Overall, preservation is framed as a way of managing community assets, bringing attention to the history of the local community, its people, and its built and natural environments. However, historic districts, which are the major preservation efforts emerging from the plan, lack the strengths of both a comprehensive approach to planning and an urbanistic approach to preservation. Takeaway for practice: My analysis shows the relevance of studying a comprehensive plan to understand how planning included preservation: It highlights the connection with preservation theories, the value of document analysis, and the importance of scale. In particular, a neo-institutional analysis reveals the mechanisms shaping policies. By examining these mechanisms in their own cities, planners and preservationists could better understand the work of previous administrations, contextualize the current situation, and recognize the elements to act upon for promoting systematic change.

Black Heritage in the National Register: The Williams Avenue YWCA in Portland, Oregon

“…By the 1990s, 80% of the total African American population lived in Albina; however, they were a minority within their own neighborhood (Bureau of Planning 1993b). The area was perceived as unsafe, which led to the 1993 Albina Community Plan (Bureau of Planning 1993a), a strategy of economic development that included preservation policies attentive to community assets, bringing attention to the history of the local African American community (Redaelli 2020).…”

Urban built heritage protection and realistic dilemmas: the development process, protection system, and critical thinking of historic districts in Dalian

“…On the other hand, it is beneficial to combine upper-level planning and management documents to quickly establish a 'street-level planning control map' and develop detailed data regulations. This approach will help to constrain new construction and disordered repair behaviours, achieve effective control at the 'quantitative' level, and avoid limitations in protecting the internal attributes of historic districts due to the omission of relevant construction projects or protection plans that affect the heritage value of historic districts while neglecting the control of external attributes (Redaelli 2021).…”

Character contradiction: The exclusionary nature of preservationist planning restrictions

“…In most cases, an underlying tension exists between the priority of redevelopment, particularly at higher densities, and the rationale underpinning the conservation of historical building typologies. While the most ubiquitous tool for preservation is the designating of historic buildings, sites or neighbourhoods, a variety of planning tools also serve preservation aims (Avrami, 2016; Redaelli, 2021). Conservation overlays or zonings are widespread in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and purport to ‘… protect “neighbourhood character”’ (Lemar, 2015: 1525).…”