Caring For the Past, Managing For the Future

Caring for the Past, Managing for the Future looks at the wealth of historic assets managed by the Federal Government and examines the successes and failures in their preservation. The report recommends executive and legislative action to remedy many of the problems plaguing the Federal Government's care of historic properties that it controls, including:

changes to Government policies that place historic preservation at a disadvantage when construction, rehabilitation, maintenance, and resource management decisions are made by Federal property managers;

legislation to encourage, rather than impede, public-private partnerships through more widespread creation and use of "friends" organizations that can work with Federal managers in support of private fundraising and other activities;

more effective, focused collaboration among different branches and levels of government for both individual project undertakings and broader preservation programs; and

better funding and staff support for Federal historic preservation activities.