| Despite the surge of national, state, and local preservation initiatives since the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, many American towns continue to experience a decline in the vitality of their Main Streets. Local historic preservation laws and regulations may help a town maintain its historic character and attract residents and visitors to sustain vibrant town life. However, these regulatory features may be lacking when trying to address the complex, myriad challenges facing small towns, such as loss of industry or the construction of a new highway that draws traffic away from a downtown commercial district. Preservation advocates may be more effective in revitalizing communities if they focus on preserving the intangible aspects of small-town life, as well as physical resources, by assessing the social and cultural value of places within downtowns just as they would assess a resource for its historic, aesthetic, or archaeological value during the preservation process. In order to explore the effectiveness of past and current revitalization and preservation efforts within small towns, this thesis will compare preservation initiatives of two communities in Hunterdon County, New Jersey: Lambertville and Flemington. In particular, the role and function of a Business Improvement District, which is a more recent type of organization that functions in public-private partnership, is explored in the Flemington case study. These organizations, such as Business Improvement Districts, have the potential to uphold traditional forms of historic preservation while incorporating new ideas and methods of preserving the culture of small towns by engaging with community members to ensure that their initiatives and programs reflect the social and cultural values of small town communities. |
