Research,
Publications, and Data Collection
In 2005, the National Park Service Conservation Study Institute completed a study for the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor Commission to evaluate the Corridor's accomplishments, leveraging, partnership network, and current management structure, and present options for the future. Click here to download the report, entitled Reflecting on the Past, Looking to the Future: A Technical Assistance Report to the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission.
This spring, the Conservation Study Institute completed a similar technical assistance project for the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Commission entitled Connecting Stories, Landscapes and People: Exploring the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Partnership. The study evaluates the Corridor's accomplishments, leveraging, partnership network,and current management structure, and present options for the future.
Click here to download the full report. Click here to read the executive summary.
Publications
- National Trust Publication "Getting Started with Heritage Areas" To request copies call 202-588-6296, email the Trust, or order online.
- National Trust Forum Journal "Regional Heritage Areas: Connecting People to Places and History" To request copies call 202-588-6296, email the Trust, or order online.
- George Wright Forum Journal "Stewardship of Heritage Areas" To request copies call 906-487-9722, email the Forum, or visit their website.
Heritage
Area Articles Available Online
For a bibliography of heritage areas, updated monthly, click here.
- America's Special Landscapes: The Heritage Area Phenomenon by Sarah Peskin
- Case Study of the Blackstone River Valley: Federal Investment Attracts Private Investment in Industrial Historic Sites by Robert Billington
- Heritage Areas in the West by Brenda Barrett, published in Colorado Preservationist
- National Heritage Areas: Developing a Model for Measuring Success by Brenda Barrett and Suzanne Copping
- The National Heritage Areas Phenomenon--Where it is Coming From by Paul M. Bray
- National Heritage Areas Program and How it Affects Byways A Teleworkshop Fact Sheet provided by the America's Byways Resource Center, April 2003
- The National Register and Heritage Areas by Brenda Barrett
- Planning for and Preserving Cultural Resources through National Heritage Areas by Judy Hart
- Rethinking Urban Parks by Paul M. Bray
Data Collection
- Understanding
and Assessing the Characteristics of Heritage Areas
categories of data and what they reveal about the economic, social and cultural qualities of the areas - Baseline
Information on the National Heritage Areas
Aggregated demographic statistics on the heritage areas - A
View of the Heritage Areas in 2003
Aggregate visitation, volunteerism, education, grants and economic leveraging. - A
View of the Heritage Areas in 2004
Aggregate visitation, volunteerism, education, grants and economic leveraging. - A
View of the Heritage Areas in 2005
Aggregate visitation, volunteerism, education, grants and economic leveraging. - Performance
Measures
Compares statistics from 2003, 2004, and 2005 in bar chart form and categories measurements according to performance goals including partnerships for conservation, resources conservation, sustainability, and financial efficacy. - Economic
Leveraging in National Heritage Areas
Economic leveraging of NPS Heritage Partnership Funding to other funding sources in National Heritage Areas
Measuring Heritage Tourism--The Money Generation Model (MGM2)
NPS, the Alliance of National Heritage Areas, and Michigan State University have completed a study that estimates the direct and indirect regional economic impacts of heritage visitors in seven national heritage areas. MSU used a modified Money Generation Model (MGM2) to analyze data collected through visitor surveys. The seven participating areas were: MotorCities NHA, Essex NHA, Lackawanna Heritage Valley, Silos and Smokestacks NHA, Cane River NHA, Augusta Canal NHA, and Ohio and Erie National Heritage CanalWay.
A report for each each area reflects visitor demographics, visitation profiles, and the level of awareness among residents and visitors of the heritage area designation. A summary report highlights trends across the heritage areas, project conclusions and recommendations. to view the procedure guide, individual area results and a summary report, visit the MSU website.
To view the MGM2 report, click here.
See also:
- Pennsylvania Heritage Tourism Study (1999)
- Path of Progress Heritage System: Visitor Characteristics and Economic Impacts (2002)
- Investing in Our Communities: Maryland's Heritage Areas Program (2003)
- Heading the Call for Heritage Tourism, Parks & Recreation, September 2004, pp. 38-49.
Research Workshops and Proceedings
Workshops coordinated by the Washington office have brought practitioners and academics together to discuss current research and how to advance our collective knowledge and understanding of the process and outcomes of heritage development. Workshops have also been coordinated to faciliate coordination, cooperation and communication among the National Park Service and other Federal, state and local agencies. Click here to view the summaries of the workshop proceedings.