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Identify the Community’s Assets and Strengths

Identifying the existing arts and cultural assets — whether places, people, artists, groups or institutions — provides local leaders with invaluable opportunities to build powerful relationships in the community that have benefits for everyone involved.

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Understanding the significant local assets and networks are a building block of community development, and extending that knowledge to arts and culture is vital. Identifying existing local cultural and creative assets can feed into a number of cultural-based revitalization efforts, from regional cultural plans1 to small cultural districts.2

Who does it: Local governments can measure information about arts nonprofits or level of participation in various activities. Local organizations such as nonprofits, community development associations, and arts groups are also well-suited to develop a more in-depth understanding of local cultural treasures, whether people, places or things. In addition to having more flexibility than the typical public agency, they may offer greater capacity to deepen relationships or develop richer conclusions.

The role of arts and culture: The goal of cultural asset mapping is to identify what is already present in your community. This could range from arts nonprofits and industry sectors to local artists to the best place to get authentic ethnic food to a weekly drum circle.

When to do it: Try bringing in partners to lead this effort for the area where a project is planned but not yet funded.

Next: Get inspired by local examples for this approach

 

  1. Cultural planning is an established practice in Canada that has caught on more recently in the U.S., as noted by the American Planning Association. Read more about cultural planning from the APA: www.planning.org/research/arts/briefingpapers/overview.htm
  2. Americans for the Arts defines cultural planning as, “community-wide process of creating a vision for cultural programming and development.” Read more about the five types of cultural plans ID’d by this group: www.americansforthearts.org/by-topic/culture-and-communities

About Us

Transportation for America

Transportation for America is an alliance of elected, business and civic leaders from communities across the country, united to ensure that states and the federal government step up to invest in smart, homegrown, locally-driven transportation solutions — because these are the investments that hold the key to our future economic prosperity.

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Thank You

This report was made possible through the generous support of the Kresge Foundation.

The Kresge Foundation “focuses on the role arts and culture play in re-energizing the communities that have long been central to America’s social and economic life,” believing that “arts and culture are an integral part of life and, when embedded in cross-sector revitalization activity, can contribute to positive and enduring economic, physical, social and cultural change in communities.” Kresge also supported projects detailed in this report in Nashville, Portland, San Diego and Detroit.