Creative Place-Making Resources

NASAA’s new creative place-making literature resource helps state arts agencies, arts organizations, artists and other stakeholders better understand and leverage the potential of creative place-making projects to enrich communities.

In recent years, creative place making—a concept tying in the work of multiple sectors to strategically shape the physical and social characteristics of a place around arts and cultural activities—has become the linchpin of various initiatives aimed at increasing the vibrancy, pride and livability of communities. Concurrently, a robust national dialogue and body of literature has emerged. It has been challenging to keep up with the theories and practice of the broad and developing discipline, even for state arts agencies that have long supported arts-based community development projects.

In response, NASAA launched its Creative Place Making Research and Resources page, curating from the many policy papers, case studies and impact reports a collection that best reflects key ideas and demonstrated successes. The page is both a primer on creative place making as well as a select bibliography to facilitate further investigation. To help you find what best pertains to your interests, NASAA includes a brief summary and hyperlink for each document listed.

For additional information about how the arts intersect with economic and community development, see the Creative Economic Development Section of the NASAA website, or contact Ryan Stubbs.