This paper focuses primarily on the District of Columbia, a city
with a robust past and a bold agenda for a sustainable future.
However, it may not be obvious why historic preservation - a
movement typically concerned with aesthetics - can play an
integral role in a city's sustainability initiative. Therefore,
this paper first sets forth the basic argument why historic
preservation can be a tool to promote sustainable development.
Part II examines the scientific data indicating that historic
preservation is a green building practice. Next, Part III posits
that investment in historic districts is an investment in
sustainability. Then, Part IV gives an overview of the recent
efforts by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to
bolster this argument, including the National Trust's
collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council, which has
yielded significant changes to the LEED rating system. The
remainder of this paper focuses on the efforts of the District.
This paper identifies challenges and opportu