Preservation Politics is a provocative look at the changing prospects for historic districts, and how local preservation commissions, volunteers, and staff can prevent and reverse decline by thinking and acting politically on behalf of the communities they serve.

Craig Allin explores here the history of wilderness preservation politics in the United States. American pioneers originally viewed the wilderness as an enemy to destroy, Allin recounts, but with the rapid decline in natural resources in the nineteenth century, citizens realized their error and began to enact revolutionary environmental policies. Allin explores the far-reaching political and economic impact of these policies, as well as their status today and their uncertain future. With its timely, cutting-edge analysis, The Politics of Wilderness Protection is must-read for environmentalists and policymakers alike.

While urban preservation is almost as old as cities themselves, it has become increasingly controversial in modern cities. In this book, Yue Zhang presents a cross-national comparative analysis of the politics of urban preservation. Based on comprehensive archival research and more than two hundred in-depth interviews in Beijing, Chicago, and Paris, Zhang finds that urban preservation provides a tool for diverse political and social actors to frame their propositions and advance their favored courses of action. In cities from West to East, divergent political and economic interests have caused urban preservation to become contested. Exploring three of the world’s great cities, Zhang deftly navigates readers through each case study, illustrating the complexities of the politics of urban preservation in each city. In Beijing, urban preservation was integral to promoting economic growth and enhancing the city’s image during the lead-up to the 2008 Olympics; in Chicago, it is used to increase property values and revitalize neighborhoods; and in Paris, it offers a channel for national and municipal governments to compete for control over urban space. Although urban preservation serves various purposes in these cities, Zhang explains how different types of political fragmentation have affected the implementation of preservation initiatives in predictable ways, thus generating distinct patterns of urban preservation. A comparative urban politics study of unusual breadth, The Fragmented Politics of Urban Preservation gives us insight into the complex policy process of urban preservation through which political institutions are intertwined with interests and inclinations, fundamentally shaping the direction of urban development, the physical forms of cities, and the lives of citizens.

This book traces the policy history of urban conservation and its relationship to the town planning process and both are set in their political context. Part One deals with the origins of conservation and its cultural background. Part Two deals with the post-war legislation and the increasing scope of conservation. Part Three deals with churches and their separate control system, and Part Four brings the story up to the present time. New issues such as sustainable conservation and the latest government policy are addressed in the conclusion. This book will aid current practice and help to inform future directions.

You’ve established a historic district in your town! Now what? Preservation Politics picks up where The Politics of Historic Districts leaves off, advising the established HPC on how to maintain momentum in their communities once the initial political campaign to win historic preservation designation has faded and the real work of enforcement begins. Schmickle goes beyond “best practices” to get to the political root of our district problems: a collective preference for putting preservation interests ahead of citizens and the larger public good. He argues that public service is the key to the long-term vitality of historic districts. Along the way, he takes on everyone who threatens district operations, from those who shirk responsibility and shred historic resources to those preservationists whose radicalism undermines public support. With wit and wisdom, this book shows that there may be no such thing as happily ever after, but historic preservation is worth the fight!

The importance of media preservation has in recent years achieved much broader public recognition. From the vaults of Hollywood and the halls of Congress to the cash-strapped museums of developing nations, people are working to safeguard film from physical harm. But the forces at work aren't just physical. The endeavor is also inherently political. What gets saved and why? What remains ignored? Who makes these decisions, and what criteria do they use? Saving Cinema narrates the development of the preservation movement and lays bare the factors that have influenced its direction. Archivists do more than preserve movie history; they actively produce and codify cinematic heritage. At the same time, digital technologies have produced an entirely new reality, one that resists the material, artifact-driven approach that is the gold standard of preservation in the Western world. As it has become increasingly easy to capture and access moving images, increasing evidence of something many archivists have known for years has emerged: industrial and training films, amateur travel diaries, and even family videos are critical public resources. It has also raised question about the role of the profession. Is access equivalent to preservation, and, if it is, how should archivists alter their activities? The time is ripe for a reconsideration of the politics and practices of preservation. Saving Cinema is the book to guide that conversation.

A shocking revelation . . . . No one vitally interested in the past, present, or future of the national parks can afford to ignore this work of historical dynamite. This is the first comprehensive history of Olympic National Park A case study of the need for citizen action to protect our natural areas As a seasonal ranger in Olympic National Park early in his career, Carsten Lien discovered the shocking truth. Flouting the law, and contrary to public expectation, the National Park Service was logging the very land it was supposed to preserve. Lien vowed to uncover the story behind the destruction. In Olympic Battleground, Lien documents more than one hundred years of political chicanery, citizen activism, bureaucratic failure, and the loss of primeval forest. This classic in historical investigation is now updated with a new chapter on the most recent preservation challenges confronting the park.