›› Building a More Inclusive Preservation Program. The ACHP has undertaken an initiative to engage diverse audiences in conversations about historic preservation to ensure the national preservation program recognizes the heritage of all Americans and provides access to tools and activities for all who care about that heritage. In a series of conferences, listening sessions, and meetings with diverse constituencies, including listening sessions in Boston, San Francisco, Santa Fe, and Tampa to hear directly from Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latino, and African American communities, a consistent set of themes rose to the surface during these conversations. Those include the following: • Preserve cultural values, including the intangible aspects of historic places; • Recognize all Americans’ history and protect the special cultural identity of places, communities, and landscapes; • Make heritage relevant for youth; • Develop community and organizational capacity, including partnerships; • Integrate cultural values and be aware of community needs when implementing standard historic preservation processes and projects; • Weave culture and public engagement more sensitively into planning and resource management by increasing consultation efforts and opportunities. At the summer 2016 business meeting, ACHP members voted unanimously to adopt final recommendations that will institutionalize the goals of a multi-year initiative to build a more inclusive national preservation program. The concepts and ideas which developed into these recommendations began to surface years ago through the work of historic preservation organizations such as the ACHP, NPS, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, as well as programs such as Preserve America. ›› The National Historic Preservation Program at 50: Priorities and Recommendations for the Future. As part of its commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the NHPA in 2016, in consultation with its members (including federal agencies) and with input from a variety of other public and private parties, the ACHP developed a report and recommendations to assess and improve the National Historic Preservation Program. Included for consideration were some of the key tools currently used under the NHPA and related authorities, such as the Historic Preservation Fund, the NRHP, Section 106 review, and the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits. The final report, The National Historic Preservation Program at 50: Priorities and Recommendations for the Future, was approved by the ACHP on December 1, 2016, and released to the public in both print and online versions in March 2017 (http://www.achp. gov/docs/Preservation50FinalReport.pdf ). A number of the recommendations overlap with or complement actions and initiatives already being undertaken by the ACHP and other parties, including the Building a More Inclusive Preservation Program noted above: • Maintaining and strengthening public support for preservation; • Enhancing leadership at the policy and program levels of the federal government; • Improving preservation planning, including better integration of preservation concerns with other environmental and planning review processes; • Strengthening sustainable funding and investment in preservation, both public and private;
IN A SPIRIT OF STEWARDSHIP: A REPORT ON FEDERAL HISTORIC PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 2018 | 9
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