January 14, 2000
Michael Tomlan
More Carrots, Fewer Sticks - Recent Heritage Preservation Planning in the
United States
Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai
Since the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966, the process of saving
historic sites and districts in the United States has expanded to embrace every
type of property. The legal safeguards offered by designation, zoning, and
administrative review at the federal and state level continue to serve as the
"sticks," as the preservation community attempts to keep unsympathetic changes
in check. The sticks have remained relatively unaltered in nature, while the
carrots offered in the form of various financial inducements continue to increase.
Michael A. Tomlan is at present the Director, Graduate Program in
Historic Preservation Planning, College of Architecture, Art and Planning, Cornell
University. He obtained his B.Arch., from the University of Tennessee (l967-73)
his M.S. Historic Preservation from the Columbia University (l973-74) and his
Ph.D. in History of Architecture and Urban Development from the Cornell
University (l974-76).
He is the author of Tinged with Gold: Hop Culture in the United States and
Richmond, Indiana: Its Physical Development and Aesthetic Heritage and also
editor of Preservation of what? For whom? A Critical Look at Historical
Significance and Multiple Views, Multiple Meanings: A Critical Look at Integrity.
He has taught and lectured extensively and has received a number of academic
awards.