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Lyz Crane draws on the work of practitioners and researchers to characterize the field of arts-based community development in which arts and culture can help achieve place based change related to the physical, social, and economic dimensions of place. This paper examines the premise that the existence of arts is considered a powerful end in itself, Crane then outlines the variety of ways that the actors and activities involved in arts and community development work can relate to and interact with each other to create sustainable communities.  Looking at the cultural ecology of place, creative economy development focuses on fostering local creative businesses and supporting creative workers both in the arts and in supporting industries while cultural development may focus on preserving cultural assets—traditions, language, stories—or on building on them to create stronger, more connected communities.  There is also a complex community development ecosystem of organizations, interests, and tools. Stakeholders may involve arts in their agendas, create arts programming, provide or develop arts spaces, employ artists, and/or partner with arts organizations. Indeed, both the arts and community development are part of the same ecosystem and all of these interactions fall into the category of arts and community development.

Crane places different types of intersections on a passive-active continuum of presence, participation, and application. Prominent nodes of intersection between the arts and community development are identified: animating public spaces; activating public spaces; serving as an anchor or focal point; and serving as a planning engagement tool.  Crane points out that, in terms of outcomes, there may not be much difference between an arts organization with a community-based program and a community organization with an arts-based program.  Oftentimes, the choice of language has to do with their founders or how they are being funded. The difference in effectiveness between these two methods and even a third that is an equal arts organization–community organization partnership is only recently beginning to be explored.

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Arts and Cultural Institutions:  Developing New Audiences and Better Neighborhoods. In the next two decades, this country will see a major shift in demographics of the population.The number of adults age 65+ in the U.S. will double, to more than 70 million. This upward trend is also true of the immigrant population. Immigrants now account for one in eight U.S. residents, the highest level in 80 years. For organizations that provide opportunities for arts and cultural participation, these demographic trends represent a challenge and an opportunity to expand their audiences and take leadership roles in their communities.

How are arts and cultural institutions responding?  What types of programs have been instituted?  What new partnerships have been made?  How has staff composition changed?  These are questions that Partners has been asked to answer thanks to funding from MetLife Foundation.  We are approaching arts and cultural organizations in six major cities—Atlanta, New York City, Phoenix, Dallas, Tampa and Chicago—about how and why they are reaching out to these two growth populations.

If you have a program reaching out to older adults or immigrants, we would like to hear from you.  You do not need to be located in one of the cities above—all good programs are welcome.  Please contact Penny Cuff at Partners ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 202-887-5990 x 101).

The age 65+ population is expected to double by 2030.  How are local communities preparing for this change?  This fall, a new n4a-led, MetLife Foundation-funded survey will look closely at the progress underway in every aspect of community life--including land use and zoning, housing, transportation, social services and civic engagement.

With its partners, the International City/County Management Association, Partners for Livable Communities, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, and the American Planning Association, n4a will poll 10,000 cities and counties across the nation, and look at advances made since the last “Maturing of America” survey was conducted in 2005.   The earlier study found that while initial steps were being taken, much more needs to be done.  n4a will issue a report on this year’s follow-up survey in May, 2011.  Stay tuned!

 

Partners’ long-term board member Neal Peirce has recently announced the expansion of Citistates Group coverage from national to global.  Along with this new focus comes a new website- Citiscope.org.

Last Friday, for an audience of several thousand at the concluding session of the Fifth World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Partners' Board Member Neal Peirce was able to make the official announcement.

The text of the announcement is below. For a full taste of what the service will be like, several lead stories included, please take look at the beta web site—Citiscope.org. It includes the "who, what, when and how" of the new service, which will be launched full-bore in the near future.

Remarks to the World Urban Forum—by Neal Peirce

Across the continents, today's cities are coming up with new and intriguing solutions to the massive problems cities face in this century. From city halls to neighborhood councils, the wave of originality is amazing.

But the mainstream media too often fails to "get it." News of cities' disasters or crises or scandals get coverage. But there are rarely reports of original, noteworthy innovations—stories that could lead to inventive adaptation in other cities, whether they're next door or across oceans.

We think the gap imperils cities' learning and progress. In close cooperation with the World Urban Campaign, assisted by Cities Alliance and UN-Habitat, we've developed a new global news service—we're calling it Citiscope.org.

Our goal: to report regularly on cities' notable new approaches and solutions on every issue from climate adaptation to local food self-sufficiency to slum upgrading. Professional journalists in the breakthrough cities will be invited to write the stories —objectively, clearly, for worldwide dissemination. We'll aim for a constantly growing global reader base. And media worldwide will be invited to pick up the reports.

The website, again, is Citiscope.org. Please check out our first group of stories. Submit story ideas yourself. Help us tap the world's top expert commentary, seek out inventive links, help inventive NGOs spread word of their star experiments, track the vital urban trends—and make a real difference for this Century of the City.