Place-Based Memory: Preservation as Community Care

Abstract

The topics of holistic accessibility, belonging, and public systems of cultural care are explored through the lenses of built environments research and critical disability studies. Using case studies as the primary research strategy, an examination of how the preservation process affects collective memory aims to shift social and built environments toward inclusive networks of care. Historic environments evoke individual and collective memories, carrying messages from the deep past to the forefront and informing future perspectives. Making heritage accessible in an environment that holds care as sacred better supports place memory. Infusing concepts of generous urbanism into the preservation of historic sites constructs more complete interpretations of the past, supporting cultural memory and creating secure connections to places that hold collective and individual meaning.