from The New York Times -
An Opaque and Lengthy Road to Landmark Status
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Preservationists See Bulldozers Charging Through a Loophole
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Houses of Worship Choosing to Avoid Landmark Status
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Preservation and Development, Engaged in a Delicate Dance
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Looking at Landmarks
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An excellent extended feature looking at the work of the Landmarks Preservation Commission in New York and some learning points to be had.

For one, urban preservation is not merely a technical enterprise, but, perhaps more importantly, also an emotional one - in that it involves persuasion, empathy and sharing responsibilities. Looking at architectural heritage solely from a technical perspective would seem to defeat the very larger purpose of preservation - which is to connect communities across time.

Another important lesson is that heritage preservation work, not matter how noble or essential, is not self-evident given the context of present-day societal preoccupations. Hence, this makes the work of preservation that much more complex and difficult as changing prevailing social paradigms become an important aspect of the groundwork needed before preservation efforts could be understood or supported.
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