State Cultural Districts Policy Brief

NASAA’s newly updated State Cultural Districts Policy Brief provides an in-depth overview of the 17 state cultural district programs that sustain more than 343 cultural districts in the United States. This policy brief update includes additions to the role of the state in creating a cultural district, the challenges that states and localities can face in administering a cultural district, and new evaluation case studies. Curated additional resources offer fresh perspectives on cultural district governance, equity, strategic planning and finance.

Importantly, this iteration of the policy brief also adds an expanded section on the issues surrounding equity when developing a cultural district. Recognizing the potential displacement of existing residents through gentrification—which often hurts residents who are already historically disadvantaged—the section on equitable investment includes a set of recommendations to consider while working toward equitable and inclusive cultural districts.

NASAA members can use this brief to:

understand the deep variety of cultural districts that exist across the United States,
cite the benefits and goals of cultural districts,
explore different types of evaluation processes and annual reports,
foresee and address the challenges that cultural districts face,
view the legislation that underpins state cultural district programs.

If you have questions related to this policy brief or other creative economy resources, or would like to discuss other facets of cultural districts, contact NASAA Research Associate Declan Wicks. NASAA will continue to track the development of cultural districts across the United States, so please reach out if you have suggestions for research that would better facilitate your understanding of cultural districts and the creative economy.