Recently, the emphasis of the district-based historic preservation delivers comprehensive visions of urban redevelopment strategies utilizing historic urban area as cultural assets. Establishing governance between diverse participants is the key factor for successful implementation of such urban strategies. The purpose of this study is, thus, to investigate relevant cases that illustrate the process of successful participatory governance in district-based historic preservation in order to address important lessons implicating urban preservation policies in the local circumstance in Korea. This study concentrated on both the Main Street program in Boston and Bukchon Hanok Maeul in Seoul. The result of analysis is threefold; first, there are no countrywide institute like NTFP(National Trust for Preservation) and expert group including general director served by partial subject in case of Bukchon; second, lots of roles and functions are concentrated in city government in case of Bukchon, so when the city government changes the details of policy, it is difficult for NPO and community members to reflect their ideas and needs; third, the governance where lacks the interactive system and affinitive relationship drives weakness of connection of each members and policy monitoring. In conclusion, we expect timely demands for establishment of governance to carry out empirical policy of distinct-based historic and cultural environment in the near future.