Happy President's Day

NYPL Picture Collection; Digital Gallery, Image ID 1585450.

Photo Friday: Parkside Graffiti + Budget Chatter

Parkside Avenue Station, B/Q subway surface line. Photo by The Preservator, 2010.

February is short for a reason. It brings dreary days here in the Northeast, but also it opens budget season. On the latter, those of us who care about the built environment should brace for change.

Federal Preservation Funding is On the Chopping Block (Again)
Hard times bring drastic measures. Even though persuasive arguments can be made about the economic impact of preservation projects, federal and state preservation programs and grant pools are likely to face deep cuts this year. The two big federal grant programs: Save America's Treasures and Preserve America are likely to be slashed if not eliminated, and huge cuts to the Historic Preservation Fund (which provides funding to states for preservation programs and grants) and other cultural resource programs also seem likely.
The National Trust's blog PreservationNation.org breaks down the issues at hand here. 

President Obama Commits to Funding National Rail Improvements
It was heartening to hear Vice President Biden announce a new six-year federal commitment to upgrading the nation's passenger rail system, starting with a proposed $8 billion for this effort in the President's budget proposal. Biden made the announcement at a whistle-stop at one of America's loveliest historic rail stations, Philadelphia's 30th Street Station. "Amtrak" Joe has long been an advocate for improving our railways. "I understand the need to invest in a modern rail system that will help connect communities, reduce congestion and create quality, skilled manufacturing jobs that cannot be outsourced," he said.

Here, here! This is smart money that will help put rail on a more equal footing with investments in road and air travel. Our nation deserves this sort of forward-thinking investment spending that creates mass transit that is not so dependent on oil. That said, Congress is in a slash and burn mode with Federal spending, so we'll see how far this really gets.
NY Times article here.
DC Streetsblog post here.

Must Reads of the Week: Active Preservation + the Splendor of Cities

Must read of the week goes to Mario Ballesteros' article in Domus, A Call To Account! A Case for Active Preservation, really got the wheels turning this week. He writes:

In contexts of crisis, architectural preservation—of buildings, but also of structures, archives, discarded or abandoned plans, as well as other minutiae and ephemeral documentation—becomes an indispensable tool for critical, political, and historical disclosure. Historical value, in this sense, transcends formal architectural merit. Preservation needs to move away from nostalgia and surface; it needs to be cold, clinical, and combative.

Ballesteros' piece is a ballsy reminder of what preservation is good for: survival, deeper cultural understandings, and inclusion. In particular, the Preservator loves the idea of preservation as disclosure.

And while we're out recommending articles, I hope you didn't miss today's NY Times column by David Brooks, Splendor of Cities. Brooks echoes the pro-urban ideas of thinkers like Richard Florida, and reminds us: "Cities thrive because they host quality conversations, not because they have new buildings and convention centers." Word.