In 1965, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the Economic Development District Act.  The Act established a statewide system of nine (9) regional planning and economic development organizations to promote intergovernmental cooperation on growth and development issues, needs of regional and statewide concern, and to promote effective utilization of available
resources in dealing with these needs.

Three of the development districts maintain contracts with the Tennessee Historical Commission to fund a preservation planner position.  The preservation planners provide information relative to historic preservation programs and practices to local governments and interested groups; facilitate the nomination of properties to the National Register of Historic Places; assist with the completion of a statewide cultural resource survey; provide protection for significant cultural resources through involvement in the project review procedures established under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (http://www.state.tn.us/environment/hist/sect106.htm); prepare grant applications to promote and preserve historic resources, and work with local governments to assist them to develop local historic preservation programs. 

The development districts with historic preservation planners include: