The first historic preservation plan for any city in the United States was created by Charleston, S.C., in 1959. Since that time, many cities have included historic preservation as a component of their Comprehensive Plans, and in recent years a number of cities have completed or begun plans specifically focused on preserving historic resources and neighborhood character.

To understand the best practices in preservation planning for American cities, the Preservation Alliance engaged the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania to undertake a survey of preservation planning in major North American cities. The survey was directed by Professor Randall Mason, and the analysis of these efforts in other cities suggests Philadelphia could benefit from a number of different planning approaches.

For information about preservation planning in other cities see the following:

• Preservation Planning in American Cities / Randall Mason
• Charleston, S.C., 2009 Preservation Plan
• Fort Worth Citywide Preservation Plan
• About the Plan
• Plan Reports