Hurricane Katrina helped to unite the conference around the basic themes. During the opening plenary session, NTHP president Richard Moe abandoned his original speech in favor of a call to protect the historical and cultural resources affected by the disaster.

"You can't rebuild New Orleans unless you save what's there," said Moe. "Preservationists must come together... so the people dispersed around the country can come back to homes they've been displaced from. That's where architecture and human needs meet."

Gateway to Recovery

Many of the conference sessions put this idea into practice by demonstrating the link between rehabilitating buildings and rehabilitating communities. "Learning from Main Street's Urban Frontier," for example, was part of a three-session track charting the work of the NTHP's Main Street program, which provides technical and financial assistance to help revitalize neglected commercial corridors.   >>>