Neighborhood conservation districts and their relevance to historic preservation in the 21st century

The regulatory tools of historic preservation have evolved since the landmark National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and local governments are enacting more flexible measures to preserve the built environment and character in neighborhoods that are not yet historic. Many local governments and communities have adopted and modified the key regulatory techniques of historic preservation to establish neighborhood conservation districts. While neighborhood conservation districts pose some serious questions related to the values and goals of historic preservation, a case study of three neighborhood conservation district programs shows that they are an effective tool for moderating growth and protecting community character in older neighborhoods.