2019 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference
Sometimes, it is necessary to look beyond New York State in order to inform ourselves of larger-scale issues and topics relating to preservation. Recently, I had the opportunity to do just that by traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the 2019 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference. The #RVP conference is hosted by the Center for Community Progress, a national organization formed in 2010 after the creation of the National Vacant Properties Campaign. Headquartered in Flint, Michigan, the Center works to foster strong, equitable communities where vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties are transformed into assets for neighbors and neighborhoods by ensuring that all communities have the policies, tools, and resources they need to support the effective use of vacant properties. The Center presents the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference in different cities across the US every 18 months.
Atlanta, birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was chosen as the host city for this year’s conference and functioned as the perfect place to explore the theme of Equity First: Revitalizing Communities Together. Executive Staff of the Center for Community Progress noted Dr. King once asked “why do we avoid addressing equality in our communities?” This sentiment proved to be the undercurrent of each session related to housing affordability, blight elimination, economic and workforce development, inclusiveness, fairness and justice, rehab and reuse of buildings, and so much more. A mix of government, nonprofit, community, and private sector leaders as well as urban planners, land bank leaders, code enforcement officials, and preservationists made up the 1400 attendees from around the nation.
Isabelle Wilkerson delivering her keynote
The conference opened with an inspiring keynote session delivered by Isabelle Wilkerson, award-winning journalist and author of The Warmth of Other Suns. This book tells the story of how the Great Migration, the movement of 6 million African Americans from southern states northward, reshaped and redefined the course of American history in the 20th century. This session felt especially relevant given our recent involvement with the Rapp Road Community Historic District through our 2016-17 Seven to Save listing. Albany, like many other communities in the northeast and midwest, is home to a historic community that was established as a result of the Great Migration. It was interesting to learn more about how this period shaped American History in the 20th century, and how it ultimately affected government policy, community planning and development.
“Our country is facing a karmic moment,” Wilkerson said in her keynote address, “and you can’t begin to heal until you address the course of the wound. History is a good way to do that.” Perhaps the most pivotal point of Wilkerson’s speech was that inequality in community development and revitalization efforts today will ultimately result in a great loss for everyone. In our work here at the League, we often see these themes of inequity in preservation as well: sometimes, only some of the stories are told as opposed to all. We want to make sure that preservation remains accessible for all people and are committed to ensuring that the field and practice continues to become more inclusive. This conference certainly gave us a lot to reflect on.
A view of the Atlanta skyline
During my three days in Georgia, I attended sessions on developing residual urban spaces, assessing city housing and development policy through a racial equity lens, deconstruction and demolition of vacant buildings, and transforming physical spaces through social infrastructure. It was a fascinating look at policies and programs targeted at fighting blight and disinvestment as well as opportunities for creative placemaking in various types of American cities, many of which share similarities to those in New York.
One noteworthy session for preservation fans included a tour of the Sweet Auburn Historic District in Atlanta, a great opportunity to get out into a local neighborhood and look at how historic preservation initiatives and equitable community development can cooperate to give life to vacant historic properties. The tour was led by staff of the Historic District Development Corporation, one of the oldest nonprofit community development organizations in Atlanta. Founded in part by Coretta Scott King, HDDC is dedicated to preserving the availability of affordable housing in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward by “serving as a bridge between the Sweet Auburn Historic District’s past and the Old Fourth Ward’s bright future.” The organization was founded to protect the residential properties surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthplace on Auburn Avenue and continues to catalyze investment and preservation in the area today.
The Atlanta Life Insurance Company Building
The tour encompassed a detailed look (inside and out) at three structures: the Atlanta Life Insurance Company building, the former Haugabrooks Funeral Home, and the Water Tower/Sculpture Park and Garden. The tour leaders spoke about the unique challenges of revitalization work in the neighborhood and how it is important to always keep the local community’s interests at the forefront to avoid gentrification and displacement, which would ultimately alter the fabric of the community. The tour concluded with a firsthand look at a new art piece currently being installed in the water tower by local artist Charmaine Minniefield. In her work, Minniefield explores African and African American ritual from a feminist perspective by pulling the past to the present. Her current project, New Freedom, seeks to preserve black narratives by creating public art in communities affected by gentrification and erasure. It was the perfect way to blend arts and culture with historic preservation and community development.
Overall, the 2019 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference provided an inspiring and comprehensive look at tools and policies to combat vacancy and disinvestment and ensure a more equitable approach to community development. There is no question that economic development and historic preservation are intimately linked, and that blight and abandonment affect many of our historic neighborhoods. The League will continue to work with our partners across New York State to support the rehabilitation and revitalization of vacant buildings – the Center for Community Progress provides invaluable support and assistance and I am grateful that I got to be one of their many conference attendees in Georgia this year!
For more information about #RVP2019, visit the sessions page of the website.
For more information about the Center for Community Progress, visit their “about” page.