State, Tribal, and Local Plans & Grants
  • Charleston, SC Market Hall framed by Palm trees

    Historic Preservation Planning Program


    Cultural Resources National Park Service

Planning Tips for SHPOs

2014 Guidance
Planning Process Chart
Topics to Consider in State Planning

There are several key features of the statewide preservation planning process.

  • It encourages broad public participation to identify and solve issues facing cultural resources. Planners actively work to engage communities, large and small, urban and rural, throughout the state.

  • It empowers local communities, organizations, and individuals to action.

  • It encourages diverse viewpoints, which are used to create a long-term vision for the future and short-term preservation goals and objectives.

  • Working with partners, planners gather and analyze information about social, economic, political, legal, and environmental trends that affect historic resources and influence preservation practice.

  • Other federal, state, and local planning efforts inform the statewide preservation plan. Plans such as transportation master plans, emergency management plans, outdoor recreation plans, tourism and economic development plans, and local land-use plans (to name a only a few) will provide valuable context for the statewide preservation planning process.

  • The final plan addresses the range of historic and cultural resources that represent the breadth and depth of a state's prehistory, history, and culture. These usually include buildings, structures, objects, archaeological sites, landscapes, traditional cultural properties, and underwater resources. Plans may also address cultural practices such as folklore, folk life activities, language, and traditional music and dance.
As statements of public policy, statewide plans serve as a general guides for decision-making throughout the state. While the SHPOs facilitate the planning process and write the plan, the ideas and goals in the plan result from collaboration among many participants. The plan will be most effective if its objectives are adopted and implemented by local communities, state agencies, and other partners, not just the SHPO.