The Idea of Heritage Development

As Tom Gallaher pointed out, the term “heritage development” sounds at first like an oxymoron. We might see it, as Gallaher described, as a process of “using what you got to make money.” Or we might accept Moriarity’s suggestion that heritage development represents a “community development ethic” in which the resources of city and region are preserved, repaired, and enhanced for the benefit of residents and to attract visitors and the prosperity they bring. Understood this way, heritage development is a holistic approach to integrating strategies of economic development, cultural and historic preservation, environmental stewardship, and placemaking. Or, as Wendy Nicholas put it, heritage development is fundamentally about “community building.”

While part of the motivation behind heritage development is to develop the local tourism industry, speakers warned that the process must pay attention to community benefits and values as well. As both Adelmann and Moriarity pointed out, telling the stories of the Canal and of Buffalo in general can help provide Buffalonians with a sense of shared meaning and experience that is often absent from our lives. If we pursue the economic rationale for heritage development too narrowly, it can backfire, Carmichael warned. Residents need to appreciate the Canal, too. Or as one citizen said, “it has to work for us.”

Heritage development is also about the big picture and the long haul. The theme of “region” came up again and again in the conversation. Planning, development, marketing, and image-making all need to be carried out on a regional scale. The many resources and attractions of the region need to be connected both thematically and logistically. For one thing, the Erie Canal isn’t the region’s only “brand name” attraction. Moreover, the process is necessarily long-term. “Are people patient?” Gallaher asked. They must be, because the process of heritage development in other communities has consumed not years but decades. Homer Russell went even farther, noting that buildings we create today will likely be around for a hundred years.