Stephanie Meeks - The Past and Future City: How Historic Preservation is Reviving America’s Communities

Just as historic places are the physical embodiment of countless Americans stories, the act of writing a book is by no means solely the labor of one or two people. In crafting The Past and Future City, I am indebted to many hardworking staff at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the wider preservation community as well as to other authors, thinkers, readers, friends, and family.

First, let me especially thank my colleague in composing this book, and the speechwriter at the National Trust, Kevin C. Murphy. He has proved invaluable in shaping, researching, revising, and editing the book before you. I also know he would feel remiss if I did not extend his deepest thanks to his patient fiance, Amy, and dog, Murf.

This book immediately found a home and champion in Island Press, and I want to acknowledge Chuck Savitt, David Miller, and especially our keen and insightful editor, Heather Boyer, for their work in helping this project along.

I also want to recognize all the many dedicated and knowledgeable staff at the National Trust, whose hard work and passionate commitment to saving places inform so many of the stories throughout this book. Special thanks go to Tabitha Almquist, David Brown, Paul Edmondson, Sheri Freemuth, Tom Mayes, Germonique Ulmer, and Hannah White, all of whom contributed their invaluable thoughts and edits to this volume.

In addition, Mary Butler and her design team at the National Trust also went above and beyond what was expected in helping find and secure rights to the photographs, tables, and graphs throughout the book. Mary, Dennis Hockman, and others also helped us brainstorm the title and cover for this project.

This book relies particularly heavily on the groundbreaking empirical research conducted by the Preservation Green Lab, a small subset of the National Trust that carries an outsized impact on its work. With that in mind, I want to thank Jim Lindberg, Margaret ONeal, Michael Powe, and Jeana Wiser as well as former directors Mark Huppert, Patrice Frey, and Liz Dunn. Jim, Mike, and Patrice also looked over this manuscript and made important suggestions.

I also want to thank the many writers and thinkers, in the preservation and planning communities and beyond, whose works inspired and informed this book. They include Kaid Benfield, Stewart Brand, Alan Ehrenhalt, Anthony Flint, Jan Gehl, Laurance G. Henderson, Sonia Hirt, Myrick Howard, Jane Jacobs, Ned Kaufman, James Howard Kunstler, Tom Mayes, Barbara McCann, Ed McMahon, Charles Montgomery, Max Page, Albert Rains, Donovan Rypkema, Jeff Speck, Carter Wilkie, and Richard Willson.

When I came to the National Trust from The Nature Conservancy in 2010, I knew I had big shoes to fill in replacing Richard Moe, the head of the National Trust for seventeen years. I extend many thanks to him, and also to my three board chairs, Clifford Hudson, Carolyn Brody, and Marita Rivero, as well as to all the members of the National Trust Board, National Trust Council, and advisors who have helped shape my thoughts on preservation over these past few years.

I am eternally in debt to my husband, Rob, for his insights as a real estate professional and planning commissioner, and to my three sons who (mostly) patiently endure our many trips to historic sites and neighborhoods.

Finally, I want to thank the fifteen million and counting preservationists in the United States, who are working each and every day in their communities to save the places that matter. This bookand all the work done at the National Trustrests on their shoulders.