In a message dated 98-08-04 16:08:44 EDT, George writes:

> It seems when I lecture to folks about the value of preservation that my
>  training and the political climate dictates that I stick to marketing
>  issues, sound bottomlines and, lately, environmental responsibility.  What
>  I REALLY want to talk about is pride and sense of community and a
>  value-based response to the past that doesn't normally play well in public
>  forums... or at least isn't what we "supposed" to talk about lest we get
>  branded sentimental and lacking a connection to the "real world."

George, I don't think I agree with you on this subject. The idea that
preservation encourages a sense of community is by no means generally
accepted, or even understood by those who don't deal with the subject. I was
shocked by one of my friends once, when he accused me of entering a profession
that was dedicated to "superficialities" and "aesthetics." He had NO sense of
the deeper connection between the built environment and the community that it
contains.

All of the ballyhoo that surrounds these economic impact studies and
environmental consciousness aren't the Mr. Hyde to the Dr. Jekyll of
preserving a sense of community. I see them as the tangible results of the
intangible "quality of life" issues that preservation promotes. Saying that
preservation improves quality of life isn't the same thing as proving it, in
dollar figures and statistics.

Frankly I'm INCREDIBLY glad to see these studies being published and promoted.
They give us real facts and real numbers to support those ideals that we who
support preservation intrinsicly know. It's like those geometry theorems from
high school-- I always had a sense that the theorems were correct, but it was
reassuring to see them proven.

For a person who works in a community whose idea of preservation means making
sure that a new gas station moves in where the old general store closed, these
studies give me a little leverage. Most of the guys that I work with are more
concerned with the baseball league standings than with architectural
character. They "Huzzah" at the thought of enticing a Wal-Mart into town. In
short they LOVE vinyl siding, and could give a crap about "community
character." They can't see anything beyond the ratables from the next housing
development, or they're waiting on a good package for retirement, or they
think that EVERYONE likes a nice maintenance-free exterior. These studies are
the only thing I've got when dealing with these folks.

-Heidi