Designation : the use of information-based strategies in planning and preservation

This thesis explores one tool of government action - information - and its influence on local policy and planning. This thesis is not a comprehensive account of information-based strategies, which would require far-reaching analysis. Instead, this thesis explores designation as one example of an information-based strategy that is used in planning and development. Specifically, this thesis explores how the act of designating an area as a national historic site ("designation") can, if at all, influence local policy and planning and, subsequently, shapes our built environment. Using the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor as a case study, I demonstrate that information strategies such as designation can provide a vital and dynamic planning tool for government. Designation presents a new approach to preservation and development by encouraging dynamic, cross-boundary partnerships that are simultaneously committed to common goals and dynamic enough to respond to the complexities of place. Designation allows local communities to maintain a place-specific approach to planning, while operating within a larger regional network. In the case of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, designation united twenty-four communities across a bi-state region between Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Designation in this region cultivated a coherent and dynamic vision that, when coupled with the organizational structure, can be seen in the physical environment of the Valley. At one scale, this is shown by the reintegration of underused or abandoned structures and the conversion of older structures for new uses.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• McCarthy, Danielle M

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• J. Mark Schuster.

• Urban Studies and Planning.
• Architecture.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/33055

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/33055