Historic Infrastructure Left Behind: Should Urban Planners Protect Streets and Blocks?

Abstract

`The disappearance of historic buildings can tear at the emotions of neighbors and advocates, yet the disruption of a historic urban plan is rarely noted or mourned and does not receive the attention from planners that it deserves. Just as they stay aware of important buildings, preservationists and planners should take up the street and lot patterns as a cause to preserve because it provides a protective infrastructure for historic character and buildings. The urban plan, laid down as the place was founded, is not only an important historic resource in its own right but also a framework for change and a safeguard for the character of a place and its historic buildings.