Municipal Archaeology: Linking Archaeology, Urban Planning and Heritage

Improving the relationship between archaeology and local government represents one of the next great challenges for public archaeology. Not only do local governments have access to powerful legal tools and policy mechanisms that can offer protection for privately owned archaeological sites, but because local government exists at the grassroots level, it is also often closer to people who have deep knowledge about the community itself, about its values, and about the local meaning of the sites most in need of protection. This partnership between archaeology and local government can also provide visibility and public programing for heritage sites. This session will explore the experiences, both positive and negative, of cities in the United States and Canada that have created space for archaeology in their local land development processes.