Benefits of Heritage Conservation for Municipalities
Economic
"Heritage conservation has been portrayed as the alternative to economic development, 'either we have historic preservation, or we have economic growth.' That is a false choice. In fact, heritage-based economic strategies can advance a wide range of public policy priorities."
- Donovan Rypkema, European Cultural Heritage Forum 2005
Research has gone into evaluating the benefits and economic outcomes of conserving heritage in municipalities. Here are a few reasons why preserving heritage is good economics:
Heritage conservation fosters community revitalization.
National Trust studies in the United States have shown that every dollar invested in heritage conservation leveraged nearly $27 of other reinvestment in the local economies.
Heritage conservation encourages heritage tourism.
Cities and towns of any size can take advantage of heritage tourism opportunities. Research shows that heritage tourists tend to include multiple destinations on their trips, spend 60% more and stay 60% longer than non-heritage tourists.
Heritage conservation enhances property values.
Research indicates that the value of historic properties, especially within historic districts, appreciate at rates greater than the local market overall and faster than similar non-designated properties. Across Canada heritage buildings have performed much better than average in the marketplace and the price of heritage houses was less affected by cyclical downturns in property values.
Heritage conservation creates jobs.
Conservation efforts create well-paying jobs in skilled labour, design and promotion, having a ripple effect on local economies. Active and ongoing conservation of historic places ensures that these jobs will be secure for years to come.
Social
Foster a strong sense of place
By conserving their heritage, municipalities can foster a strong local identity based upon a sound understanding of their area's unique history.
• Historic places tend to bring together people of all ages;
• Historic places often become focal points for important community events and celebrations;
• Historic places and heritage planning provides opportunity for public service and volunteerism.
Cultural
Enhance local cultural life
Conserving historic places enhances a municipality's cultural life can:
• Heritage resources embody the way of life of the people who created them;
• Protecting historic places promotes architectural diversity;
• Historic districts in both large urban centres and smaller, more rural, communities are wonderful spaces for artists, artisans and other cultural groups to practice their crafts.
Sustainability
Heritage conservation is an important part of municipal sustainability and a strong contributor to sustainable development strategies. Heritage conservation is sustainable in the following ways:
Heritage conservation is sustainable in the following ways:
Economically – research from across the globe shows that heritage conservation can have multiple economic benefits for a community, including job growth in skilled trades, increased property values, revitalized neighbourhoods and a wide array of tourism opportunities.
Culturally – at its core, heritage conservation is a cultural activity. Not only does it remind us of our past and traditions, it acts as a point of pride and reference that can help foster awareness and confident cultural growth that respects traditions and stories of the area.
Environmentally – Reduce & Re-use. Heritage conservation helps to reduce reliance on new materials, environmentally unfriendly building materials and energy intensive production of new building materials. Heritage conservation encourages the re-use of existing building materials by extending the life of a building and its components, or rehabilitating damaged building materials.