As some of you know, the Trust is experiencing a season of renewed energy as an organization, and this blog is an exciting piece of that effort. Through it we look forward to rich conversations around a wide range of topics.
We can start by attempting to get our heads around the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The job losses and health calamity cannot be overstated; and there is no question that our economy, society, and culture are shifting permanently.
Everyone wants to know just one thing. We want to know what kind of economy, society, and culture will create the healthiest environment for the most people. No one knows the answers yet. To find them we — the government, preservationists, businesses, health community, architects and planners, residents, consumers, activists, journalists and writers, educators, and everyone else — will be forced to reexamine our goals, tools, methods, and processes. We will be looking for opportunity, and everyone will have to make choices.
As preservationists we need to choose smart. We need to choose opportunities that refuse to rip away more of our treasured historic fabric but save more of it. We need to look for reasons and models to finally rescue our small towns, rural landscapes, Native spaces, and big city places from further deterioration, all while celebrating the irreplaceable imprint of the many racial, ethnic, religious, and gendered groups who make up our state.
I invite you to use this blog — and the Alabama Trust organization — to look for new opportunities to invest in our postdemic economy and culture; and decide, at last, to save the places that matter to both.
Pamela Sterne King
Immediate Past President