May/June 2002 - The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

Richard MoePresidentNational Trust forHistoric Preservation“The Rambler” is thenewsletter of The GeorgiaTrust for Historic Preservation,the country’s largeststatewide preservation organization.With the support ofmore than 8,000 members,the Trust works to protectand preserve Georgia’s historicresources and diversecultural heritage.Address all correspondenceto: Rambler Editor, 1516Peachtree Street, N.W.,Atlanta, GA, 30309-2916, orcall 404-881-9980, ext. 3222.e-mail: info@georgiatrust.orgwww.georgiatrust.orgAlison TyrerCommunications DirectorLisa StricklandCommunications Coordinatorand Rambler EditorAndrea FosterCommunications InternSpecial thanks to Georgia Powerfor printing The Rambler.© 2002 The Georgia TrustPreservation Offers “Smart” SolutionsThe following editorial is an excerpt from Richard Moe’s keynote speech at the StatewidePreservation Conference February 28 in Macon.Perhaps you’ve noticed somethingremarkable about the theme of this conference:Instead of trumpeting the word“preservation,” it calls for a discussion ofgrowth strategies and solutions for Georgiacommunities. I believe that says somethingimportant about the growing maturityof the preservation movement. Preservationis no longer an end in itself. It’s nolonger a “frill” with little relevance to dayto-daylife. Instead, it’s increasingly integrated—asthe theme of this conferenceindicates—into broader discussions aboutwhat it takes to make a community attractiveand supportive.Preservation today is rooted in anappreciation of the value of history—justas it always has been—butit’s not concerned primarilywith the past. Preservationtoday is in the business ofsaving special places andthe quality of life they support.This means thatpreservationists have a keyrole to play in any effort tocreate and maintain communitiesthat are truly livable for all segmentsof the population.Communities need what preservationistshave to offer, particularly now thatcommunities all over America—includingthe cities and towns of Georgia—are facingprobably the most serious threat they’veknown in a generation: the destruction oflivability caused by sprawl.Sprawl and its byproducts representthe number-one threat to community livabilityin America today—and communitylivability is the key to community survival.The essential thing is to offer people aviable alternative to sprawl. That meansreclaiming the streets and neighborhoodswhere people live—the towns, inner citiesand older suburbs that we’ve neglected sobadly for the past half-century.You can’t have smart growth withoutreinvestment in existing communities.Let me re-phrase that: Reinvestment inexisting communities is smart growth.Here’s why:Municipalities need financial resourcesif they are to grow smart. Vacant or underusedhistoric buildings brought back to lifeare tax-generating assets for a community.I’m convinced that the answerto sprawl is sound land-useplanning and reinvestment inolder communities.Making the most of these assets is smartgrowth.If we expect people to use their carsless, the physical environment in whichthey live, work, shop and play must havea pedestrian orientation. One of the predominantcharacteristics of historic areas istheir pedestrian orientation. Preservingthem is smart growth.Smart growth advocates density anddiversity of use. Most older neighborhoodswere designed and built with thesefactors in mind. Saving them is smartgrowth.Rehabilitation and reuse of older buildingsallows for growth without consumptionof land. The conversion of a warehouseinto 40 dwelling units reduces thedemand for new housing on 10 acres offarmland. The revitalization of Main Streetreduces the demand for another strip mall.That’s smart growth at its very best.The question is not whether our communitieswill grow, but how they willgrow. A number of states have recognizedthe need to provide leadership and assistanceon land-use planning and revitalizationissues.Here in Georgia, Gov. Roy Barnes,with strong support from the businesscommunity, created the Georgia RegionalTransportation Authority (GRTA) in aneffort to manage the traffic and sprawl thattopped everyone’s list of threats to livabilityin the Atlanta area. As a regional superagency,GRTA thus far has confined itselfmostly to transportation issues, but it isalso empowered to work in the arena ofland-use planning as well.What this statewide initiative demonstratesis that piecemeal efforts aren’tenough. What’s essential is leadership—bythe governor, the legislature and the privatesector—to develop a vision forContinued on next page