The year 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act, the cornerstone of historic preservation policy and practice in the United States. The act established the National Register of Historic Places, a national system of state preservation offices and local commissions, set up federal partnerships between states and tribes, and led to the formation of the standards for preservation and rehabilitation of historic structures. This book marks its fiftieth anniversary by collecting fifty new and provocative essays that chart the future of preservation.

The commentators include leading preservation professionals, historians, writers, activists, journalists, architects, and urbanists. The essays offer a distinct vision for the future and address related questions, including, Who is a preservationist? What should be preserved? Why? How? What stories do we tell in preservation? How does preservation contribute to the financial, environmental, social, and cultural well-being of communities? And if the "arc of the moral universe . . . bends towards justice," how can preservation be a tool for achieving a more just society and world?

Max Page is professor of architecture and history and director of the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.Marla R. Miller is professor of history and director of the Public History Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is editor of the series Public History in Historical Perspective.

"I see this book as being a requirement in the library of any preservation professional. It certainly will become an instant textbook for the many preservation programs across the country—at both the undergraduate and the graduate level."—Anthony C. Wood, author of Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks

"Anyone who has ever admired an old building or wandered through an older neighborhood with pleasure will enjoy Bending the Future, a stellar collection of fifty short essays on the future of historic preservation in the United States. Editors Max Page and Marla R. Miller have invited historians, activists, preservationists, and designers to argue about American landscapes and buildings: What must we save? What can be demolished? Who cares? The authors address aesthetics along with social justice, economic inequality, and sustainability in a volume that will appeal to community organizers and local officials as well as university students in diverse fields."—Dolores Hayden, author of The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History

"The editors were not seeking a manifesto, but instead were challenging all of us to dig deep and challenge our assumptions as we look to the future. . . . There is a wideness and optimism to the thought in Bending the Future that bodes well for the next 50 years."—Saving Places Blog

"The most compelling essays were those that are the most specific; you can almost feel the effort it took for each author to stay away from glittering generalities and instead put forth concrete suggestions for change. Some of the most interesting ideas came from essays like 'Historic Preservation: Diversity in Practice and Stewardship' by Everett Fly, who offered specific ideas about new ways to educate and train preservation professionals. . . . Other compelling ideas ranged from illustrating innovative techniques for how to use digital technology to layer information, to suggesting new ways to structure property ownership in order to facilitate stewardship and future preservation. . . . I was inspired by the creativity and forward-thinking ideas expressed across the collection of essays."—OffCite