HDC is excited to launch NEED Landmarks: Neighborhoods Expecting Equitable Designation, a preservation affinity group for community organizations advocating for designations in neighborhoods underserved by landmark designation.
Who is this group for?: Community groups advocating for designations in neighborhoods underserved by
landmark designation may be interested in joining this group.
In this context, “underserved” means that a given neighborhood has few individual landmarks, and possibly one small Historic District of no more than 50 buildings. To be clear, this also refers to neighborhoods that are fully unserved by landmarks and have no individual landmarks or historic districts.
What will this group do?: The overarching goal of this affinity group is for community groups representing
underserved neighborhoods to be able to come together to share strategies, build coalitions, and support
each other in raising awareness about this concern, and asking LPC to respond accordingly.
In 2021, LPC published an Equity Framework to guide its future designations. HDC believes that
members of the NEED affinity group can support one another in holding LPC accountable for its stated
equity goals.
HDC will work to support this group effort in several ways, including by offering consultation on site
selection; providing guidance on Requests for Evaluation; supporting communication with elected officials,
and facilitating meetings with agencies responsible for protecting historic sites.
Preliminary goals for this group in its first year are:
- Quarterly meetings
- 1 Intra-coalition survey to understand constituent group concerns and decide other initiatives
- 1 Press Conference or campaign to draw attention to the issue
- 1 Set of Policy Proposals
- Other goals that the affinity group members may set among themselves
HDC staff will facilitate this affinity group through regular meetings and campaigns.
If you are interested in joining the NEED Landmarks Affinity Group, please reach out to HDC’s
Preservation Advocacy and Community Outreach Manager, Lucie Levine, at [email protected]