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The Rhetoric Behind San Diego's Historic Preservation Debate
March/April 2024
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Preservation isn't just a coat of paint or a nostalgic sentiment; it's the very fabric of our city's identity. At SOHO, we know firsthand the immense value historic preservation brings to San Diego.
The benefits of preservation are manifold, spanning aesthetics, culture, society, education, and economics. Despite SOHO's relentless advocacy and educational endeavors, historic preservation is clearly under siege in our city.
Often, the critics are well-intentioned but misguided community activists, who erroneously argue without substance that preservation fuels gentrification and racism and impedes necessary new housing and urban density. Their arguments lack in-depth research to stand against the facts.
Then there are those driven solely by profit margins—the real estate developers and advocates who resent and fiercely oppose any obstacle to their financial ambitions. Cloaked in the guise of public welfare, they spout fallacies about equity, affordability, and competitiveness, all while staying laser-focused on their bottom line.
Another front in this battle comes from those decrying any encroachment on property rights as un-American. Their allies, including anti-regulatory groups and pro-development factions, echo these sentiments without factual foundation.
What unites all of these adversaries is their scant evidence and, at times, deliberate distortion of facts. Contrastingly, rigorous analyses by professional firms like PlaceEconomics provide irrefutable proof of historic preservation's benefits. Their exhaustive studies of diverse cities across the nation culminated in 24 reasons why preservation is indispensable. We urge you to delve into this enlightening report.
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