How Should We Approach Historic Preservation? | Guest: Meredith Johnson

Meredith Johnson ( linkedin.com/meresjohnson  ) of Johnson Planning & Preservation LLC in Austin, TX was a great resource for our members during Office Hours today. 

We discussed the comments made by Alex Bozikovic in a recent podcast episode "Does Heritage Preservation Stand in the Way of Housing?" (link to post on LinkedIn)

 Strong Towns has covered this topic extensively over the years: 
https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2014/6/23/historic-preservation.html 

https://actionlab.strongtowns.org/hc/en-us/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=historic+preservation 

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  Meredith's Suggested Reads and Listens
  IG Follows: 
• Sara Marsom 
• Andrea Roberts / Texas Freedom Colonies (they're not just in Tx)
• Darius Johnson (Save the Countryside)
• Preservation Futures 
• poc_arch
• Hood Century Modern
• Blue Dog Preservation 
• Monte Anderson (his firm retrofits suburban developments using "historic" principles)
• Post Oak Preservation 
• Segregation_By_Design
• Philly Green Building (especially good if you want to see real construction and costs)
• Texas Cob Co. (learn about different materials that have been historically outlawed) 
• SignedBritt 
• autolaw_philly (deeply committed car-free living)
• ghostly archive (a fun surprise) 

I also follow local historians for my region, professors or authors who specialize on untold histories, and large-scale, value-aligned projects (like Abundant Housing LA) to learn about more history and hear alternative policy recommendations.

Podcasts: 

• Urban Roots 
• 99PI
• Ologies (specifically Egyptology to hear about preservation on different levels) 
• The Humanity Archive 
• The City (more of a mystery-style but deep dives into the complexities of urban policies, like housing)
• Architectette Pod

Books: 

• Root Shock by Mindy Thompson Fullilove - draws the connection between housing practices/urban renewal and impact on communities. 
• Beyond Preservation by Andrew Hurley - how to integrate public history into city planning 
  Past and Future City by Stephanie Meeks - fromer National Trust for Historic Preservation leader writes about preservation in our contemporary cities
• A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia and Lee McAlester - THE authority on architectural style for preservationists but also includes regional inventories of common designs, layouts, features, etc
• Historic Preservation by Norman Tyler, et al - a detailed introduction to Preservation (from my grad school intro and I still use it)
• Modern Architecture by Kenneth Frampton - develop an appreciation for more recent history 
  Know Your Price by Andre Perry - understand the cause and effects of land policies on Black Americans plus how to change the future
• Literature and the Urban Experience by Michael C. Jays, et al - a collection of literature about experiences in cities from mostly POC who lived there (specifically at the peak of white flight; I think this was my dad's book in college)
• Downtown America by Alison Isenberg - a history of downtowns in America, focusing on their transition into car-centric places
• Urban Warfare by Raquel Rolnik - a comprehensive overview of the current housing crisis