A Future for the Past: A Comprehensive Plan for Historic Preservation in Tennessee, 2004

From the Introduction: "The pace of social, economic, and environmental change in the modern world is such that even when the change is on the whole positive for quality and conditions of life, it sometimes threatens to overwhelm efforts to avoid or minimize the harmful effects that such rapid change can also cause. Included among these harmful effects are the destruction of historic buildings, sites, and landscapes. Others may include traffic congestion, inadequate public services, overcrowded schools, crime, and higher taxes. Such concerns are best addressed in a coordinated fashion and this realization indicates the usefulness of planning as a tool for coping with such matters. A plan for historic preservation is a part of this need for planning. A plan can serve to guide efforts of all those agencies and individuals who collectively are trying to preserve the historic environment of our state. It can also encourage the coordination of those efforts with other growth management concerns and planning efforts. As the state agency primarily responsible for the stewardship of historic resources in the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Historical Commission has taken the lead in efforts to develop a comprehensive plan for historic preservation in the state. The development of such a plan is also a requirement of the provision of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Tennessee's first plan for historic preservation was produced in 1970 in response to the passage of the legislation. By the mid 1980s that plan was outdated and in 1986 a new plan was developed and adopted. In 1996 that plan was, in turn, superseded by a new plan which was completed in that year. The 1996 plan was a departure from previous plans in that its methodology was based on conventional community planning models and was developed with a much larger degree of public involvement. This current plan is a revision of the 1996 plan and is based on the same planning concepts. The revision contains updated information and revised goals and objectives but is not radically different from the 1996 plan. The process by which the 1996 plan was created and on which this plan is based is described in the document 'Historic Preservation Planning Process'. ...Planning is a way of setting priorities and of measuring progress. The heart of a plan is therefore the identification of the ultimate goal or vision which the plan is striving to achieve. The most important part of a plan is the statement of this goal or vision and the steps needed to reach it. This vision and the goals and objectives to bring it to reality are contained in Part IV. The vision, the goals, and the objectives must be based on a consensus of the principal stakeholders and others who will implement the plan and in turn it must serve to communicate those values and goals to others who are not stakeholders but may become so. In the case of historic preservation both the consensus building process and the plan itself can heighten awareness, among both the general public and among opinion leaders and decision makers, about the value of protecting historic resources in terms of the benefits to be derived and the value placed on such efforts by constituents. The intent of this plan is therefore to communicate this message as well as to serve as a guide for steps to achieve the vision. The THC hopes that this plan will serve both of these purposes." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Tennessee Historical Commission, Department of Environment & Conservation, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

A Future for the Past: A Comprehensive Plan for Historic Preservation in Tennessee, 2004

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