The Past and Future City Press Kit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT EMAIL

Katharine Sucher, 202-232-7933 x43 ksucher@islandpress.org

PRESS RELEASE

The Past and Future City How Historic Preservation is Reviving America’s Communities

By Stephanie Meeks with Kevin C. Murphy (October 4, 2016) Washington, DC – When it comes to the future of our cities, the secret to urban revival lies in our past. An engaging look at how historic preservation can create thriving communities, The Past and Future City (Publication Date: October 4, 2016) explains how historic buildings and the preservation movement can make our cities more desirable, prosperous, and equitable, and urban residents happier and healthier.

In this inspiring book, Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, reinvigorates the topic for a new generation. She takes readers on a journey through our country’s historic spaces to explain why preservation is important for all communities. Along with spurring economic growth, nurturing start-up businesses, and creating jobs, historic preservation reduces energy costs and environmental impact while encouraging healthy living practices like walking and cycling.

Preservation is not just about keeping old buildings around. It is about retaining valuable historic buildings and districts while updating them for current uses and needs. It is about capturing our history—both the good and the bad—for future generations to understand. Rather than sequestering buildings behind velvet ropes, it means repurposing them into structures that serve the community, like the century-old elementary school in Portland that was converted into a quirky destination hotel, or the historic buildings across the country that have found new life as community centers or affordable housing units.

The book also addresses the need for preservationists to protect historic spaces like Shockoe Bottom in Richmond, once the nation’s second-largest slave market, from inappropriate

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development. Telling the full American story means preserving spaces that have historical significance to all Americans—including African Americans, women, Latinos, the LGBTQ community, and others.

With passion and expert insight, The Past and Future City shows how historic places explain our past and serve as the foundation of our future. These places matter, Meeks reminds us, and we are richer and stronger when they remain.

Stephanie Meeks has been the president and chief executive officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation since July 2010. Before joining the National Trust, she served in several senior executive positions, including chief operating officer as well as acting president and chief executive officer, during her 17-year career with The Nature Conservancy. Kevin C. Murphy is the speechwriter at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For nearly two decades, he has worked behind the scenes as a speechwriter, ghostwriter, researcher, editor, and advisor.

All royalties from The Past and Future City will be donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, to support the continuing work of saving America’s historic places and advancing vibrant, sustainable communities.

The Past and Future City Paperback Original Publication Date: October 4, 2016 352 pages | Price: $60.00 (Hardcover)/ $30.00 (Paperback)/ $29.99 (E-Book) ISBN: 978-1-61091-708-7/ 978-1-61091-709-4/ 978-1-61091-710-0 http://islandpress.org/book/the-past-and-future-city Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 1,000 titles in print and some 40 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues. Island Press is driving change by moving ideas from the printed page to public discourse and practice. Island Press’s emphasis is, and will continue to be, on transforming objective information into understanding and action. For more information and further updates be sure to visit www.islandpress.org. ###

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT EMAIL WEBSITE

Katharine Sucher, 202-232-7933 x43 ksucher@islandpress.org www.islandpress.org

BIOGRAPHY Stephanie Meeks Stephanie Meeks has been the president and chief executive officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation since July 2010. Under her leadership, the National Trust has developed an ambitious strategic plan designed to refocus direct action on saving imperiled places, engage new audiences in preservation, and increase the organization’s impact by a factor of ten.

Under Stephanie’s tenure, the National Trust has worked to bring a more diverse and younger group of Americans into the preservation movement, and support their efforts in their communities and across the nation. It has also launched an effort to highlight the critical connection between older buildings and vibrant cities, and spearheaded research reflecting the benefits of historic preservation in today’s urban areas.

Stephanie has championed 21st-century business processes and systems to better meet today’s preservation challenges. The organization has strategically repositioned its portfolio of 27 historic sites to achieve new levels of stewardship, implemented a bold plan to upgrade its technology infrastructure, and moved its operations to the historic Watergate building, creating a dynamic, state-of-the-art workplace to move preservation forward.

Before joining the National Trust, Stephanie served in several senior executive positions with The Nature Conservancy, one of the world's largest and most influential conservation organizations. She also served as director of RARE, a U.S.-based conservation group that uses social marketing to address environmental challenges in communities around the world, and currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Potomac Conservancy. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Colorado and an MBA from George Washington University.

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