Sustaining the arts and creative placemaking through tax increment financing, Part 2

Some philanthropists like to have their names attached to theaters or museum galleries.  But as far as we know, none of them try to get their names put on an office copier or an accounting position.

One of the things that makes sustaining the arts so difficult is that it is harder to get funding for the back office operations -- that is, general operating support -- than for specific projects.  As a result, organizations that should be spending more time building their organizational infrastructure are instead doing the things that bring them attention from funders.

That's why the arts can benefit from a revenue stream that doesn't rely on a private funder's particular interest.  In the previous essay on this topic, I talked about how Allegheny County and the state of Colorado generated hundreds of millions of dollars for arts through a sales tax initiative.  More interestingly, Allegheny County is able to increase the amount going to the arts because of this revenue model.

I argued that states could develop a funding pool without raising sales taxes.  What states or districts can do is to reserve a portion of taxes above a base for the arts. (This is a model known as tax increment financing [TIF], which is used in most of the country to support big development projects.)   This money can help support creative placemaking activities that not only benefit the arts, but also make communities more attractive for cultural tourism and businesses that rely on highly educated workers.  As the arts improve the quality of place, attracting more shoppers and workers, people spend more money, and more support goes to the arts, and the cycle continues.

This fund can help to support the kinds of activities that are less likely to be supported by private foundations and corporations, including:

• Organizational development and administrative activities that help arts organizations become more effective.
• Place marketing efforts and collaboratives, such as arts councils.  While individual organizations may want to support local arts councils and efforts to market their communities, they need to support themselves first.  Also, the current funding environment (some win grants, others lose) furthers competition that may make it harder for some organizations to work together.
• Arts events and festivals.  Some of the larger arts events generate enormous returns on investments to their communities.  The WaterFire event in Providence, Rhode Island, attracts about 1 million visitors and  $25 million in private spending per year, according to Tom Borrup in The Creative Community Builders Handbook.  But most small festivals need to build their audiences over time to have these kinds of numbers.  The TIF can invest in these events and festivals as they build their audiences.
• Public art and street art activities.  These can help attract people to commercial areas or encourage shoppers there now to stay longer (which can generate more consumer spending.) 
• Interorganizational mergers and partnerships.  There are a number of people -- funders and even arts advocates -- who say there are too many distinct arts organizations.  The TIF can provide incentives for organizations to engage in long-term partnerships or even merge.
• Arts activities in underserved communities.  Some places -- Manhattan in New York City; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Asheville, North Carolina -- will always get more funding because funders spend more time in these places.  The TIF could be a catalyst for arts-based economic and community development in neighborhoods and towns without large and influential arts organizations or strong advocates.

--Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Sustaining the arts and creative placemaking through tax increment financing, Part 1

It seems like everybody involved in creative placemaking is talking about funding cuts to the arts.  Well, maybe not everybody.

In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, (which includes the city of Pittsburgh), the county's Regional Allocation District is planning to increase its allocation to arts and cultural activities by 2%.  This is thanks to a creative way of funding the arts -- through a portion of sales tax revenue.  The District gets revenues from half of a 1% sales and use tax in the county, and distributes it to arts, cultural and entertainment facilities and parks throughout the county.  Though the amount of the tax may seem insignificant to a shopper, it has translated to more than $2.3 billion since 1995. In fiscal 2011, the Regional Allocation District Board is expecting to give $81.1 million.

Colorado does something similar with its Scientific and Cultural Facilities District in the Denver metropolitan area.  This fund -- based on a tenth of a percent of sales tax -- distributes about $40 million per year to around 300 organizations in seven counties.

Sales taxes are a great way to support the arts and creative placemaking.  Governments don't even have to create new taxes to make this funding system work.  Through a process known as tax increment financing, arts and cultural organizations can get a portion of any sales taxes above a certain baseline.

Here's how it works.  Let's say in 2011, ABC County collects $100 million in sales taxes.  That $100 million is the base.  In 2012, because of an improving economy, ABC County collects $110 million in sales taxes.  That additional $10 million goes to support arts and cultural activities.  A government agency wouldn't have to wait years for the money to pile up.  It could float a bond that could be paid for by increased sales tax revenues.

Most states have tax increment financing programs (TIFs).  But, like in New Jersey -- where it is called a Revenue Allocation District -- TIFs usually go to support big development projects.  So in New Jersey, a TIF could help build a big performing arts center, but provide no funding to support its operations. This is a big problem -- not just for arts organizations that struggle to keep the lights on, but also for the municipalities and leaders who sometimes use a lot of political capital to get these big projects built.

And of course, most arts activities happen outside of big theaters and cultural centers.  Some, like public art and street art, generate no or little money.

New Jersey uses a form of tax financing. A portion of the tax that guests of hotels and motels pay goes to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, which distributes revenues to arts organizations.  (Arts Build Communities is one of many grantees supported by this fund.)

Why should the arts be singled out for special treatment with a portion of sales tax?  Because arts and cultural activities are proven generators of economic activity. According to several economic impact reports, the arts bring people to downtowns and other places,  where they will spend $8, $10 or $20 per person on top of the ticket prices.  As you can imagine, this is good for nearby restaurants and stores (especially the smaller businesses that have little money for marketing.)   And it's also good for high-tech and information industries, such as pharmaceuticals.  They want to attract the best educated and most creative people to come up with the next product to generate billions of dollars.  And what do creative people like?  To be in places and with other people who are creative.

It's a virtuous circle: more arts activities and artists tend to generate more money for restaurants and stores.  And all of these provide a windfall benefit to companies that want to attract educated and talented employees.

That's why a hotel/motel tax is a good start, but not enough.  A portion of sales taxes from businesses that benefit from arts and cultural activities could be used to support the arts and creative placemaking.

How the money is distributed, and for what purposes, determines whether the sales taxes generate a good return on the investment.  That's the subject for the next part of this essay...

--Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

To learn more:
About the Allegheny Regional Allocation District
About the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District
About the New Jersey State Council on the Arts

Arts Build Communities and the Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program offer several courses on creative placemaking, including economic development through the arts, programming cultural uses, and cultural heritage tourism planning.  Learn more about our upcoming courses.

Planning for the growing wealth of diversity in the United States

As the United States gets more diverse, ethnic and racial minorities are controlling more wealth.  That has some significant implications for placebuilding in the 21^st century.

A multicultural shopping district along Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, New York. (Image found through Creative Commons search.  Photo credit: Vidiot)

According to The Multicultural Economy 2010 by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, ethnic and racial minorities together hold about $2.6 trillion in buying power, or 23% of the $11.1 trillion in buying power in the United States.  Buying power in “multicultural economy,” as the report calls it, is growing rapidly.  In 2000, the report estimated, African-Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and people of mixed races held about 19.7% of the nation’s buying power.  The group with the biggest rise in buying power is Latinos.  In real dollars, the buying power of Latinos rose from $633 billion in 2000 to $1 trillion in 2010.

These trends could have a significant impact in how placebuilders approach such issues as place-based economic development, cultural heritage tourism, housing and circulation planning, and community building. In addition to creating new opportunities, the rise of the multicultural economy can also challenge placebuilders to change their practices.

For example: Ethnically-based economic development strategies can help revitalize commercial districts that are seeing more empty spaces as more people shop online.   Attracting businesses that cater to members of a large or growing ethnic group in the area can create a more loyal shopping base.  Eventually, as with so many Little Italys or Chinatowns, successful business districts can attract cultural visitors, whose wealth would attract more businesses.

Sounds easy? It’s not.  Small, independent businesses tend to be more fragile than established chains and franchises.  Expect to get tense responses from businesses and residents from other communities, especially those that are losing political or economic power in the community.   And the new ethnic communities will want their values and aesthetics represented.  The design guidelines meant to make the town square look like a Norman Rockwell painting may need to be revisited – or scrapped.

So if you’re a placebuilder in this community, you might be doing more business assistance than pro formas, more conflict management than market analysis, and rethinking the ideas about prescriptive urban design.

Placebuilders should also work to avoid ethnic pride becoming ethnic exclusion.  With a few exceptions, most ethnic commercial districts probably would not prosper in the long-term if they are perceived to be hostile to outsiders.  Many businesses rely on at least some revenue coming from outside of the area.   Those that don’t benefit from having neighbors that get good foot traffic.   From a community development perspective, these ethnic districts will work better if they work more as gateways among cultures than as barriers. 

In most parts of the country, African-Americans and Latinos tend to have lower median household incomes than Non-Hispanic Whites and Asian-Americans.  So a strategy to build on African-American or Latino wealth could mean increasing housing densities and managing greater demands on roads and public transportation. 

While there are a number of successful African-American and Latino commercial districts geared to working-class communities, the growing number of high-earning minority households creates opportunities to build more upscale ethnic districts.  There are restaurants, boutiques and other businesses that serve these markets, and could help anchor these districts.

Another strong anchor is a set of public art, stores, restaurants and services (such as a music school) that is rooted in the arts and culture of the communities being celebrated.

But here again there are challenges.  The strategy will probably work best in areas with large ethnic or cultural populations with struggling commercial areas.  But it would likely involve gentrification of some streets, which could make placebuilders vulnerable to charges of elitism.

But there’s a good community building argument for having some wealthy ethnic districts.  What message do low-income African-Americans, Latinos or other ethnic minorities get when they see wealth exclusively in what they would call “White” neighborhoods?  Does this message help build the confidence and pride that lead residents to want to strengthen their neighborhoods?  Or does the message encourage those most capable to leave – and take their financial, social and creative capital with them?   

New Jersey is one of several states that are getting both wealthier and more diverse – and much of the growing wealth is due to diversity.  According to the Selig Center, total buying power (in real dollars) grew 19% between 2000 and 2010.  Only 7% of that was due to the growing wealth of non-Hispanic Whites.   Ethnic minorities in 2010 have about 27% of the state’s $399 billion in buying power.

At least 32 of the state’s 566 municipalities are potential ethnic or multi-cultural power centers.  These communities are either “majority-minority” or are have no predominant ethnic group.  With the exception of major urban centers like Newark, Jersey City or Camden, many of these municipalities are caught in the middle between large centers that have more resources and get more attention from decisionmakers and suburban areas that have more wealth.   These power centers can benefit from ethnic-oriented economic and community development that could attract attention and dollars.

--Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

How you finance the arts depends on how you define the arts

In one of the most artsy towns in one of the most artsy areas of New Jersey, the South Orange Performing Arts Center is struggling to pay back a $3.9 million loan to the township. One South Orange official openly questioned whether SOPAC will ever be able to pay back its debt.  This author has heard SOPAC called a failure.

South Orange Performing Arts Center

Well, that depends on how you look at it. As a business, SOPAC is not doing well, and might not for years to come.  (The "bad economy" argument is not compelling.  While we might expect subscriptions and donations to go down, local theaters should be a more attractive alternative to those who want to enjoy performances and save money.)

On the other hand, there are plenty more stores and restaurants in South Orange Village than were there in 2005, a year before SOPAC opened.  (In other words, there were more places to shop, eat and visit in the worst years of this recession than there were in the best years before the crash.)

And SOPAC adds several benefits for South Orange and surrounding communities: A large event space, more opportunities to highlight community and student performers in a professional setting, and more choices for movies -- all within walking distance of the train.

So the question for South Orange and other communities looking to the arts for community and economic development is:  Should an arts center be considered a business sector, infrastructure or a social good?

The answer can help determine whether a municipality supports the arts, or just allows it to happen.  The answer also can help officials decide whether arts activities supported by communities should be managed by economic development, community development, or parks and recreation agencies.

If the arts are just another business sector, then a community should judge their success by their return on investment to the public.  Nonprofit institutions don't pay property taxes, but they can give a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT).  Community leaders should negotiate for a PILOT that covers the center's share of municipal services, plus extra to make up for the fact that a tax-paying business could be on the site.  If, as in the case of South Orange, the community invests in a center, the community should demand that the center generate as much revenue as possible.  But the center should be free to charge as much as the market will bear, without any consideration for community arts or events that wouldn't bring in much revenue.

If the arts are seen as community infrastructure -- like a road or a storm drain system -- then their success should be measured in how many businesses, revenue-generating development or self-supporting residents it attracts and supports.   To make it work financially, communities could support the arts with some of the revenue that would be generated by new development.  That's what Rahway did in March, when its City Council unanimously approved an $8.5 million bond to propel its growing arts district.

It can make sense to take on this much debt for large projects that generate enough revenue to pay back their costs  That's why tax increment financing is successful around the country.  (In New Jersey, it's known as a Revenue Allocation District.)  But there are other ways to support small initiatives.  Governments could reserve a portion of the added tax revenues or fees that come about because of the arts.  Or perhaps Special Improvement Districts could dedicate a percentage to the arts from the revenues they receive from restaurants, shops and other businesses that benefit from all the people coming to enjoy the arts -- then staying to shop and eat.

Under the infrastructure scenario, cultural organizations and artists that receive support should be encouraged -- if not obligated -- to promote local businesses and projects who can bring more revenue to the municipality.

A third option is to see the arts like parks -- an overall benefit to society that are not expected to pay for themselves. School-based  and community arts programs, small community theaters and the like are probably not going to be self-supporting over the long term. (Especially not in north and central Jersey, where there are so many options for arts lovers.)

In this view, the community supports the arts through its property taxes or other fees. As with other social goods, measures of success include the number of people served and how those people feel they benefit from the arts.

The responsibility of cultural organizations and artists in this scenario would be to serve as many people as possible, and especially those who do not have as much access to art.

The three options are not mutually exclusive.  Larger cities like Newark and Jersey City might be able to do all three.  But in smaller communities like South Orange and Rahway, the choices are more difficult.

By choosing among these options, community and cultural leaders can make better choices about how public resources should be spent, and reduce the type of controversy now facing initiatives like the South Orange Performing Arts Center.

 Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

For more on the SOPAC struggles, see this report in NJ.com


For more on Rahway's support for the arts, see this report in NJ.com

Photo credit: David Gard, New Jersey Local News Service.  The image was published in NJ.com on October 10, 2010.

Five key trends for local economic development in the 2010s

Whether the US economy springs back or staggers its way to recovery, there are a number of trends that you can capitalize on for improving your community's economy.

• The arts as engines for the creative and experience economies.  According to a report to be published soon by Arts Build Communities, there was a 10% jump in the number of people working in the creative sector between 1998 and 2007.  Most are probably not artists, but rather the people whose work supports the arts: administrators, blue-collar workers, manufacturers of creative products. The arts are at the heart of two other growing economic trends -- the creative economy and the experience economy. The creative economy includes scientific innovation and cultural products for export (Think Ipads, Droids and the new medicines you see on TV.)  The experience economy includes all those retailers, businesses and places people are willing to pay more money to because of the experience they provide.  (That's why the Mall of America has an amusement park in the center, and not just more chain stores.)
• To take advantage of this opportunity, consider: Attracting and retaining creative sector professionals through place- and community-building efforts; place marketing efforts; providing more flex space; whether your community feels inviting to creative professionals

• The growth of "free agent" nation. Self-employed workers accounted for about 30% of the job growth in the United States between 1998 and 2008. While the number of employees in businesses grew 10% in that time, the number of self-employed workers grew 26%.  (See the County Business Patterns database for more information).  In 2008, about 15% of 142.2 million jobs in the United States were held by self-employed workers.
• To take advantage of this opportunity, consider: Business assistance and development strategies targeted to micro-entrepreneurs; live-work spaces clustered in downtown settings; cooperatives, and other structures that help businesses share resources.

• Ethnic minority communities as emerging markets.  Ethnic minority communities had about 23% of the nation's $10.7 trillion in buying power in 2009, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth.  While the total amount of disposable income in the United States had been growing through most of this decade,  the buying power of African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and multiracial Americans grew faster than that of non-Hispanic Whites.  Those trends are likely to increase as the nation gets more diverse.
• To take advantage of this opportunity, consider: Place marketing and business development geared to ethnic communities; developing more culturally competent placebuilding and economic development professionals.

• Green industries replacing gray industries. It may be a decade or more before alternative energy producers and manufacturers of green products become a major source of jobs in many communities.  Placebuilders who plan for these uses now will have a tremendous advantage.  Whether green or gray, industrial uses need large, affordable spaces and the ability to easily move large amounts of goods.  (That's why so many 19th and early 20th century factories in city neighborhoods have become loft housing.)
• To take advantage of this opportunity, consider: Preserving existing industrial and warehousing areas; landbanking; encouraging the transitional use of light industrial spaces as artisan work/live spaces, server farms, or retail/commercial storage facilities.

• Transnational communities as market expanders.  From classic port-of-entry cities to small farming towns, continued immigration is having a bigger impact on America.  One of those impacts is economic:  It is easier for money and goods to flow between countries.  Communities that participate in transnational economies can significantly expand their market area while minimizing competition with its neighbors. In an age where the Internet and lower costs in other countries are challenging brick-and-mortar American businesses, this is a way for communities of any size to bring more wealth into its borders.
• To take advantage of this opportunity, consider: Building relationships with immigrant groups in and around your community; encouraging the use of light industrial facilities for import, export or assembly of materials; promoting community building efforts that make immigrants feel more welcome in a place.

--Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

The Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program offers courses and professional certificates in economic development, cultural development.  Courses are offered between September and June.  Learn more.

Talking points for connecting the arts and sustainability

Two big trends in urban placebuilding today are arts-based planning and sustainability.  Here are some talking points to help leaders and community understand how they connect.

But first, let’s get on the same page: “The arts” and “sustainability” are two of the most vague concepts in placebuilding. If your audience thinks the arts are just a bunch of weird stuff that only rich people enjoy, or that sustainability is about protecting every blade of grass, you’re not going to have much luck trying to promote either idea.

—  The arts are all activities related to the creation, distribution or consumption of products or experiences that are valued for their aesthetic qualities.  In other words, if someone is willing to pay more for some object or experience because of how it looks or makes them feel, that “thing” is some form of art.  That means that the opera and the classic car show are both artistic experiences.

—  Sustainability is a set of practices by people or groups designed to promote the long-term sharing of resources with future generations.  This includes reducing demands on the environment, promoting economic opportunity, and increasing social equity.  (Remember the 3 E’s of sustainability: Environment, economy and equity.)  If you run into a deep ecologist just wants to focus on environmental protection, let them know people decide whether to go or stay green.  If you don’t take care of people and you don’t enhance quality of life, they’re not going to be too worried about protecting trees.

(Presentation tip: Show a pie chart or triangle to show the relationships among the 3 E’s.)

How the arts (and artists) can contribute to local economies

—  The arts attract wealth (arts patrons, visitors, theater-goers, etc.). Wealth attracts businesses;  businesses attract more wealth, and so on and so on in a virtuous circle. (Presentation tip: Show a flow chart or one of those diagrams with the big arrows running in a circle.)

—  The arts help to diversify the business and employment mix.

—  Artists contribute their skills to many businesses outside the arts.

—  More of the money spent in arts establishments is likely to stay in the local economy, compared to the money spent in chain stores, franchises and the Internet.  (For more on this, read Ann Markusen’s work on the artistic dividend.)

—  The arts are part of place-based experience economies, so artists tend to be involved with local economic revitalization efforts.

—  Creativity is critical to industries that rely on innovation, such as biotechnology and other knowledge economy businesses.

How the arts (and artists) can contribute to the environment

(Note: Art tends to be neutral regarding the environment, but artists have a long history of being connected to the natural world.)

—  Visual artists, such as landscape painters, draw inspiration from local environments.

—  Artists are more likely to be involved in preservation efforts.

—  Artists are more likely to reclaim abandoned and blighted spaces, reducing construction waste.

—  More architects and urban designers are promoting “green” building and design.

—  Visual artists, such as landscape painters, draw inspiration from local environments.

—  Artists are more likely to be involved in preservation efforts.

—  Artists are more likely to reclaim abandoned and blighted spaces, reducing construction waste.

—  More architects and urban designers are promoting “green” building and design.

(Presentation tip: Use an image that shows artists working with children in a ‘green’ project.)

How the arts (and artists) contribute to equity

—  Art provides a safe and inviting bridge for people to learn about other cultures.

—  Art gives people who feel discriminated against a productive way to express themselves.

—  Artists are often involved in revitalization efforts in their communities.

—  The arts can provide job opportunities to people without advanced degrees.  (Ok, it’s probably not a lot of jobs, but it helps.)

How communities can better connect the arts and sustainability

—  Bring arts and sustainability leaders together.

—  Identify current and potential connections between the arts and sustainability initiatives.

—  Create a local cultural plan with a sustainability focus. Try to get it attached to the community’s master plan.

—  Work on short-term and highly visible projects to highlight the connections.

—  Develop a leadership group committed to promoting the arts and sustainability.  Build the group to include all parts of the community.

—  Try more. Learn from your mistakes. Create new solutions. Update your plan. Build more leaders.  Repeat.

--Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP 

Rutgers University's Arts Build Communities provides research, continuing education and technical assistance in the arts and community and economic development.  Learn more...

How planning turned a dusty village into an international icon

Like the beautiful brown-to-red rock formations nearby, the City of Santa Fe seems to rise organically from northern New Mexico’s high desert.  Santa Fe is an international arts and culture destination, each year drawing artists, aficionados of Spanish colonial or Native American history, and millions upon millions of dollars owned by tourists buying into “Santa Fe style.” 

But like so many  “adobe” buildings – which are really made up of the same materials used for your house – Santa Fe’s image has been meticulously planned and maintained.   The city demonstrates the enduring power of planning and placemaking.

At 400 years old, Santa Fe is one of America’s oldest cities of European heritage.  (Nearby Acoma Pueblo, from 1100 AD, is actually the oldest continuing settlement in the United States.)  But the Santa Fe that most people know got its start in the early 20^th century, with the 1912 City Plan.

As told by Chris Wilson in The Myth of Santa Fe, the innovative plan envisioned Santa Fe as a national cultural tourism destination.  To this end, the plan recommended that all buildings be maintained in variations of Pueblo or Spanish Territorial forms (later known as Santa Fe Style), no industrial activities be allowed downtown and that curving pedestrian streets in the downtown be protected from widening and straightening.  

The vision was so powerful that some owners of existing structures built in ornate architectural forms -- such as Italianate -- changed their facades to fit in with the Santa Fe -- even though there were no legal requirements to do so.

One of the most amazing aspects of the vision is that it didn't carry any legal weight until the 1950s, when Santa Fe created its zoning code mandating the Santa Fe design style.  (The code is still one of the most restrictive design ordinances in the United States.)

With so much art and natural beauty, cultural tourism in Santa Fe today seems a natural fit.  Not so in 1912.  The City is surrounded by natural beauty, but no more so than any other Northern New Mexico town. In the early 20th century, there were more artists in Taos.  A closer town, Espanola, sits on the Rio Grande (a more likely pre-automobile navigation route) and is closer to many of the Pueblo villages that inspired Santa Fe's leaders.  Albuquerque was a bigger town and on the famed Atcheson Topeka Santa Fe (ATSF) railroad main line between Chicago and Los Angeles.

So why did the vision work and continue to endure?

The vision met the the different interests of the various groups in the city.  

After several decades of economic decline, business people were looking for an economic development boost. The city did not get to be on the ATSF main rail line, depriving it of the opportunity to compete with other southwestern towns for manufacturing and distribution.  In a place without the agricultural capacity or waterways of other growing cities, cultural tourism couldn't hurt.

The architectural style reflected the interests of descendants of Spanish conquistadors and immigrants who were part of the cultural and economic elites or otherwise engaged with Anglos.  It also helped that Edgar Hewett, who was as influential to Santa Fe then as Jane Jacobs was to New York, and other Anglo leaders encouraged the creation of the Santa Fe Fiesta to celebrate Spanish culture.

In the early 20th century, there was a growing industry in Native American arts and artifacts.  Cultural tourism could bring more business opportunities for Pueblo Indians.

Northern New Mexico was already attracting artists, architects, archaeologists and cultural historians who could now get into the high desert through trains and early automobiles.  (In fact, the leading painters and patrons of New Mexico's art scene came from New York.)  These cultural elites would of course support a vision that preserved their fantasies of New Mexico.

Although the vision was created largely by an archaeologist and former college president, Edgar Hewett, leaders throughout the city were involved in its development. 

The plan mixed technical planning knowledge  -- more mundane aspects dealt with open space and growth management -- with a clear image for the city's development.

The vision was culturally competent for its time.  Rather than have one ethnic group's interests dominate others, it strove to promote a vision of Native Americans, Spanish descendants, and Anglo-Americans living together in peace.  (This is the essential "myth" that Wilson describes so well.  The integration, Wilson says, was largely superficial, and often excluded lower-income people who considered themselves more "Mexican" than "Spanish."  The strict design guidelines deny Latino residents -- some of whom use tropical colors in and around their homes -- opportunities to see their architectural tastes reflected in the tourist areas.)   Today, the city's strict design guidelines and architectural standards would not be considered culturally competent for the diversity there.

The vision worked.  It attracted artists and cultural tourists, elevating it above other cities in New Mexico and the American Southwest as a cultural tourism destination.

(About the image -- A centuries-old Spanish mission? Nope.  The Santa Fe Museum of Fine Arts, built in 1907.  Its director, Edgar Hewett, who was the Jane Jacobs of his time, spearheaded the development of the 1912 Plan of Santa Fe.  Source: http://marilynsnyder.org/images/New%20Mexico/SF%20Museum%20of%20Fine%20Arts%201.JPG)

--Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Keys to sustainable arts-based community and economic development

Our companion publication, NJ ArtiFacts, has a three-part series on the keys to sustainable arts-based planning and development.  These keys are: Branding, collaboration and regional marketing.  While written for a New Jersey audience, the tips here can help any planner or community or economic development professional who wants to promote the arts in any community.

The first two installments of the series are available now.  This posting will be revised when the final installment is published.

Read Three Keys to Sustainable Arts-Based Community and Economic Development

Part 1 -- Branding
Part 2-- Collaboration

--Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

The Professional Development Institute offers a number of courses to help you build your skills in cultural community and economic development.  Please visit PDI's  Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program to learn more about upcoming courses.