The work of historic preservation sits at the intersection of the arts and humanities, material science and technology, economic and political interests, cultural agency and community activism, and public policy. The last of these—public policy—serves as an important mediator of government authority versus individual freedoms, influencing how the preservation enterprise claims space and narrative, and who has power in the process.

In her latest book, Second-Order Preservation: Social Justice and Climate Action through Heritage Policy (University of Minnesota Press, 2024), Erica Avrami interrogates this public policy landscape and associated practices of governance, asking:

• Whose stories and places are represented?
• Who participates in decision-making?
• Who benefits or is burdened by these decisions?

These questions and their implications become more complicated as the climate crisis compels decarbonization and adaptation of the existing built environment. Confronting these challenges will involve critical reflection on the part of the preservation enterprise as well as policy and governance reform. This talk will discuss some of the social and environmental consequences of preservation, as part of that critical reflection. It will also explore avenues for the next generation of policy action, moving beyond the first-order work of saving heritage sites and buildings to considering the second-order effects on people and their environments.