HISTORIC PRESERVATION STUDIO II
Policy Recommendations Our recommendations are broken in both broader, city-wide policy recommendations and specific, neighborhood-level recommendations. Our first recommendations concern the policy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the New York City Department of Planning.
Education-city level We feel is opportunity for historic districts to stand as a model of resilience for the city. They should perform as the best neighborhoods and help protect the cultural values and livelihood of their residents. This might sound utopian, but one of the mandates of the NYC Landmarks Law is “to (b) safeguard the City’s historic, aesthetic, and cultural heritage.” Analysis found that within the study area, the expectations of the NYC Landmarks Law has not been utilized to its full extent, and buildings are being protected primarily for aesthetic reasons without acknowledgment of the cultural and social fabric that makes these places significant. Thus we recommend, broadly, that the LPC take steps to ensure that districts throughout the city are recognized for their cultural significance - and while it has already started to do so, such as is the case of Stonewall Inn, the LPC needs to continue to take steps in this direction. We also suggest further education of the community and general public on the Landmarks Law in New York City. In general, the public still feels that a historic district imposes so many regulations upon homeowners that they can no longer make any changes to the fabric of their buildings. As we have shown in this study, through some examples of new buildings in historic districts, this is not the case. However, the Landmarks Commission needs to improve its education of the public regarding historic preservation in order to better promote preservation as an accessible option to all.
Corner of Dean and Smith Street Source: student photo
A STUDY OF BROOKLYN’S COBBLE HILL & BOERUM HILL NEIGHBORHOODS 133
