Summary: American Express and the World Monuments Fund on November 7 announced a new initiative awarding $4 million over four years “to reward and encourage the responsible stewardship of historic sites by supporting projects that address the issue of sustainable tourism.” The initiative, part of the American Express Partners in Preservation initiative launched in 2006, focuses on sustaining historic sites facing increased visitor activities and environmental impacts and preserving them for future generations to enjoy. The four projects to receive initial grant funding are St. Paul's Cathedral, London; Mexico City Historic Center; Delhi Heritage City; and Route 66, the historic corridor that runs between Chicago and Los Angeles.

Varied needs
Although the four sites have varied preservation needs, each will receive a significant grant towards sustainable tourism plans designed to stimulate culturally and ecologically sensitive tourism. The sites were chosen because they demonstrated ability to integrate historic preservation, sustainable tourism management practices, and visitor education into their conservation programs. The grant distribution is as follows:

St. Paul's Cathedral will receive a $500,000 grant distributed over two years to help relieve crowding and lessening the impact of tourism on the church's nave, which suffers from heavy foot traffic, abrasion, and fluctuations in humidity. The funds will contribute to the long-term plan to open up an additional major area inside the cathedral and make accessible to visitors some hitherto rarely seen aspects of the building, such as the triforium, where the collections will be displayed, and Sir Christopher Wren's Great Model in the Trophy Room. The cathedral, which now receives almost 2 million visitors a year, also will improve visitor routes to enhance the experience of entering Wren's restored interior while reducing future damage. With these improvements, the cathedral will be better positioned to present its full 300-year history.

Mexico City Historic Center will receive a $200,000 grant to support the creation of “interactive educational content” for the city's planned visitor center, which will serve as the focal point for visitors to Mexico City's downtown historic district. Incorporating natural light and energy-efficient technologies in its design, the visitor center will feature interactive displays, virtual tours, and physical models that will inform visitors about individual historic sites, architectural history, sustainability challenges, and proposed urban green spaces. (Mexico City's Historic Center was placed on World Monuments Fund's Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in 2006.)

Delhi Heritage City will receive a $200,000 grant to support a project led by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage to pilot a new heritage route connecting some of Delhi's most extraordinary monuments. The heritage route will begin at the monumental Humayun’s Tomb and end at the Red Fort, a Mughal palace that was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2007 (pictured). His project, which eventually will be expanded to include a number of heritage districts and sites in Delhi, will feature clean-energy shuttle buses with hop on/hop off service to ease the flow of visitors and reduce congestion. The route will also offer educational centers and other visitor amenities such as sidewalk furniture and environmentally friendly lighting.

Historic Route 66, cities, towns, and villages between Chicago and Los Angeles will receive $150,000 for an in-depth economic study of this long-distance historic corridor. The study will provide information for communities that can be used to stimulate heritage tourism at local, state, and national levels to help preserve the corridor in its entirety and ensure its long-term sustainability. Funding will also contribute to a comprehensive survey of the many different buildings and attractions that make up this unique landscape and the impact that environmental factors and modern travel have had on them. This effort will include a conservation assessment of the historic and now-vacant Santo Domingo Trading Post site on Route 66 in New Mexico. The project will make recommendations on the building's restoration and future use. Route 66 was placed on World Monuments Fund's Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in 2008.