Saturday, March 25, 2023

The Dark Side of government Historic Preservation

Did not read the whole article, but it is an important and recommendable reminder of government waste, fraud, and abuse!

One may also want to keep in mind that any historical building can nowadays be preserved in form of e.g. lengthy video documentaries or even 3D digital objects at a very great level of detail etc. Not to mention some objects or even entire rooms can be traditionally preserved in a museum etc.

"... But there’s a downside to historic preservation. As Alex Tabarrok puts it, “if today’s rules for historical preservation had been in place in the past, the buildings that some now want to preserve would never have been built at all.” After all, life goes on—and as lovely as old buildings may be, they are not only expensive to maintain and repair, but they can also stand in the way of worthy innovation and necessary development. When the government orders historic preservation by law, the resulting costs are typically imposed on individual property owners in the form of expensive mandates—or on would-be owners, in the form of higher costs for housing.
Government restrictions can also create perverse incentives: A lovely old home can become a costly albatross around an owner’s neck, which scares away potential buyers. And restrictions on construction can deter developers who would otherwise be ready and willing to construct much-needed modern housing. ..."

The Dark Side of Historic Preservation - Discourse Historic preservation ordinances can limit property owners’ rights, stifle businesses and even hinder the goal of preservation itself

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