10 on Tuesday

If you’ve been following along through our toolkit series on establishing a local historic district, you know that your community should develop a task force; understand and communicate the benefits of historic district designation; and decide on where the boundary lines should be set to ensure you keep the “local” in your local historic district.

Next, you’ll need to develop the legislation -- a preservation ordinance -- to protect the historic resources in your community.

A preservation ordinance is a local statute enacted to protect buildings and neighborhoods from destruction or insensitive rehabilitation. It also establishes a design review board (known as the preservation commission) and process, which are critical for securing historic district designation.

Developing a preservation ordinance demonstrates the willingness of a community to recognize, invest in, and protect its historic character. And while every community’s ordinance should be written to meet the specific needs of the area, each should have these 10 basic components:... Read More →

Emily Potter is a copywriter at the National Trust. She enjoys writing about places of all kinds, the stories that make them special, and the people who love them enough to save them.

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Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing a series of toolkits on managing communications for your preservation project. Public Affairs intern Sarah Coquillat kicks it off this week by showing you the big picture -- the full arc that a robust outreach campaign can take. We’ll dive into each of the steps in more detail going forward, but consider this a general checklist for whenever you’re preparing to take your project public.

Although all campaigns have different objectives, the overarching goal of any media campaign should be to successfully change the behavior of a targeted group. To achieve this, issues must be properly presented to the target audience.

A campaign to save a place can benefit greatly from well-run media outreach, providing an organization with one of its best opportunities to reach its intended audience. Publicly presenting an issue through the media can also help attract the attention of policy and other decision makers who may ultimately decide the outcome of your project.

But where do you start? And where should you end up? Here are 10 steps to building an effective communications strategy that can help take your preservation project over the finish line.... Read More →

Julia Rocchi

Julia Rocchi is the managing editor for the National Trust. By day she wrangles content; by night (and weekends), she shops local, travels to story-rich places, and walks around looking up at buildings.

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So you’ve decided you want to establish a local historic district and have considered where its boundaries should be. Now comes perhaps the hardest part: getting your community to buy into the idea.

Shaping local sentiment and opinions is always a complex task, and planning a local historic district is no exception. While the preservation community understands and appreciates its benefits, not everybody might feel as enthusiastic about it. What’s more, all the local stakeholders -- homeowners, government officials, merchants, and property owners -- will endorse, change, or reject proposals depending on how well they understand the issues involved.

So it’s up to the district advocates to make a clear and compelling case about the advantages of a local historic district. Not only will it increase community awareness, but it can also help avoid controversy later by building consensus now.

Here are 10 points you can share with your community stakeholders about what establishing a local historic district will bring to your area.... Read More →

Julia Rocchi

Julia Rocchi is the managing editor for the National Trust. By day she wrangles content; by night (and weekends), she shops local, travels to story-rich places, and walks around looking up at buildings.

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