national register nomination for boulevard park historic

preservation can work as an economic development strategy that calls for more
exploration of a neighborhood’s history. 52
Other books on historic preservation strategies echo Rypkema’s themes about
economic integration and Sacramento’s desire for greater economic diversity within
53
historic districts. Bill Schmickle’s The Politics of Historic Districts addresses
gentrification thus: “The wealthy—like the poor—are always with us. Do we want them
isolated in suburban developments? Isn’t it better to lure them to a diverse historic
district, where they’ll contribute to the tax base, provide money for civic projects,
develop sensitivity for urban issues, and join in local affairs as socially conscious and
responsible citizens?...With the visibility that districting gives us at City Hall we can
work for tax policy and other considerations to help maintain diversity and
homeownership. Everyone in a district benefits from investment, not just folks in grand
homes or businesses with political pull.” 54
Promoting economic integration in place of gentrification as an urban planning
strategy has other potentially beneficial effects, both for cities and for historians. Critics
of “new urbanist” planning strategies like Nan Ellin often point to the “disneyfied” nature
of New Urbanist or neotraditional development, pointing out that they are not
representative of historical cities and lack real economic diversity. By promoting a more
inclusive mode of historic preservation, including the roles of working-class
52
Rypkema, The Economics of Historic Preservation, p. 73-84
53
Schmickle, Bill, The Politics of Historic Districts: A Primer for Grassroots Preservation. Lanham:
Altamira Press, 2007
54
Schmickle, The Politics of Historic Districts, p. 141
35