The Collective Action Problems of Historic Designation: A Complexity Index for One Hundred Cities in the United States

ABSTRACT Historic districts play an essential role in preserving cultural heritage and tend to improve property values. However, the complexity of the designation process can contribute to collective action problems among stakeholders. Analyzing the text data from the top 100 populated U.S. cities' municipal codes, we develop a measure of the complexity of designation processes and further uncover the possible driving factors behind the collective action problems. OLS analysis finds that the racial composition, percentage of senior citizens, owner‐occupied housing unit rate, non‐government advocacy organization, and the age of municipal government can all play a significant role in one or more steps.