A national historic preservation group has recognized Austin's Equity-Based Preservation Plan, bestowing its Commission Excellence Award in Best Practices: Public Outreach/Advocacy on the Historic Landmark Commission for its initiation and stewardship of an overhaul of the city's outdated program.
The National Alliance of Preservation Commissions recognized the all-volunteer body for its work on Austin's first preservation plan in more than 40 years, according to a city press release. Austin City Council will review the plan for adoption this fall.
The Equity-Based Preservation Plan will replace a 1981 historic preservation plan with one created to support a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable future for all. To develop the plan, the Historic Landmark Commission created a working group of preservation professionals, stakeholders from allied fields, and community representatives in an extensive input process.
The result is a strategy that includes 107 recommendations supporting 14 goals, ranging from stabilizing communities to supporting stewardship of community assets, according to the release. The recommendations "prioritize engagement and propose tools to ensure that preservation equitably benefits people across the city" and "consider how to better tell Austin’s full, complex story while maintaining a high bar for historic designation," it reads.
“The selection committee was very impressed by the collaborative, inclusive nature of the planning process and the innovative Equity-Based Preservation Plan,” NAPC’s Stephanie Paul said. “We hope that this award encourages more cities to follow Austin’s lead in centering equity in historic preservation planning and policies.”
“As we look towards adoption and implementation of the plan, it’s wonderful to get this national award,” Historic Landmark Commission chair Ben Heimsath said. “So much has changed in Austin and the historic preservation field since our last preservation plan in 1981. The Equity-Based Preservation Plan responds to those changes and proposes exciting steps for an even more effective program and a better shared future.”
“This has been a community-centered process from the beginning,” Austin Planning Department director Lauren Middleton-Pratt said. “We’re grateful for everyone who got us to this point, whether it was the Preservation Plan Working Group or the thousands of Austinites who contributed input and feedback. We’re thrilled that the new preservation plan is grounded in local people and stories, and that everyone’s contributions are being recognized with this national Public Outreach/Advocacy Award.”:
In creating the draft Equity-Based Preservation Plan, the working group reviewed good practices from across the U.S., consulted staff from 12 City departments, and conducted a community heritage survey. Focus groups gave input on legacy businesses, cultural and heritage organizations, and neighborhood priorities. A ULI Technical Assistance Panel involved the development community. In total, working group members spent 1,100 hours developing the plan over the course of a year, with input from 275 people. Community engagement around the draft plan in spring 2024 engaged an additional 2,600 people to provide feedback, with help from paid community ambassadors and community organizations receiving mini-grants.
