Montgomery County Preservation Coalition

08/25/2026

I ran across this today. Not trying to sell anything, just sharing!

08/18/2026

Before we were all so connected by the internet and roads, communities had to for the most part produce what they consumed and consume what they produced. As more people arrived in a town, more was needed. As more was needed, more work was to be had. New people meant more food was needed, more housing, more shops. Which meant opportunity for people already in town and for newcomers alike.

When you think of your town as a closed loop economy, it becomes a little easier to understand how we can thrive without the mega employers that dominated our towns during the mid-20th century. There is such a push to return to that era, completely forgetting that we had healthy economies long before large industrial employers arrived. And we have forgotten how to create and build things ourselves.

Every town I work with has a housing shortage. At the same time they complain there is no meaningful work for young people, that kids are moving away, and that there isn't enough money. The answer to all of these problems is the same.

What happened to locals building their own homes? What happened to people in town running their own businesses? We didn't lose some ancient technology that made this possible. We just grew accustomed to outsourcing it.

We know we need more homes. We know people need groceries and love coffee shops and restaurants. But instead of reconfiguring our systems to empower locals to build and operate the things we want and need, we wait for someone from somewhere else to come and do that work. We assume no local could manage a coffee shop. We assume no one in town could build a home for their family. So we wait for someone from far away to do it for us, so that they can take all of our money back with them when they leave.

They aren't supplying a better product than you could produce locally, I promise you that. But they certainly have advantages. Not only do we wait on them to do this work, we reconfigured our systems for them and we even subsidize them. We build new roads and infrastructure to lower their costs while locals watch from the sidelines.

We aren't training locals to do the work we need. We are footing the bill for outsiders to come and do the work we used to do ourselves. Then we wonder where all the money went. Where the kids went. Where the pride went.

It was shipped off. One subdivision and strip mall at a time.

It doesn't have to be this way. It never did.

*This is the work I do with communities across the country. If your town is ready for an honest conversation about its civic health, find me at revitalizeordie.com

08/15/2026

08/13/2026

This is taken from the page "Revitalize or Die"

08/12/2026

When the walls are put up, how much of this historical home will still be visible???@@

08/11/2026

The state of Tennessee recognizes the historical importance of Dunbar Cave State Park and is preserving it.

08/05/2026

We are so pleased to be at this stage in extending our Downtown Historic Overlay. Please support this effort by letting your City Council members know that you support this!

07/29/2026

How do you FEEL about Downtown Clarksville?

Cities are obsessed with cost and forget to consider value.

An Audi still just moves people from one place to another. But people pay a premium for it. Whole Foods still just sells food. But people pay a premium to shop there. Why? Because of how it makes them feel.

Your city is no different. People will pay a premium to live somewhere that makes them feel good. They'll leave somewhere that doesn't. Most people aren't looking for the cheapest place to live. They're looking for the best place to live. Cost is just one factor in that decision and often not the most important one.

Yet somewhere along the way we gave an outsize voice to bankers and finance people while sidelining artists, creatives, and dreamers as being unserious. We got obsessed with the "serious" business of cost and cheapened our communities to the point that nobody wants to live in them. Some people choose them. A lot of people just get stuck in them.

People don't make decisions solely on cost. They don't always order the cheapest thing on the menu or buy the most affordable sweater. They make decisions with their hearts as much as their wallets. They choose things that make them feel something.

So maybe it's time to elevate some writers and painters and dreamers to your board. Let people who understand beauty and emotion and human connection have a seat at the table where decisions about your town get made.

We need to change our approach. Let’s focus on becoming a place that makes residents proud. A place they can show off to friends from out of town. Somewhere that makes them feel good just to walk the streets.

If all of this sounds too “touchy feely” to you, you might be getting the point.

07/16/2026

Reuse and repurpose instead of demolition! It makes sense for historic buildings as well as modern, unwanted ones.