Preservation that Builds Equity, Art that Constructs Just Places

Abstract:The built environment in US cities displays uneven geographies and patterns of spatial exclusion. Preservation, as a profession that cares for places and communities should help to redress these inequities. Likewise, socially engaged art and creative practices can act as catalysts for transformative change. This article describes three community engaged courses in which students drew connections between concepts of equitable preservation, socially engaged art, and the just city. The Equity Preservation Workshop focused on creating a toolkit of policies for preservation alliances with community development. In Just Places? Community Preservation, Art and Equity, students investigated how the arts can ignite historical consciousness and employ creative practices that repair, adapt, and preserve places. Art, Preservation, and the Just City generated ideas for creatively engaging youth with place, identities, and the built environment. Students conducted research with preservation organizations including the National Trust for Historic Preserva tion and Preservation Buffalo Niagara; a creative-placemaking program of Enterprise Community Partners; and Assembly House 150, a nonprofit in Buffalo that transforms lives and the built environment through art, design, and construction. This article describes these field investigations into the layers of intersection, interaction, and possibility between preservation, art, and social equity.