Letter from the Editor: Creative Placemaking

Creative placemaking”—incorporating arts into place-based strategies—has become an integral part of comprehensive community development practice. Creating art in communities is of course not a new concept, but in 2009, the National Endowment of the Arts collaborated with philanthropy, federal agencies, and financial institutions to formalize these efforts into a policy framework through ArtPlace. Since then, practitioners have begun applying creative placemaking techniques to various community development efforts, including housing, transit, and safety.

Here at the Institute, we’ve previously featured resources on how to launch creative placemaking strategies and best practices from around the country. In this month’s spotlight, we’re focusing specifically on how creative placemaking can support larger economic development efforts. A Q&A with our Twin Cities offices discusses some of the ways artists are working with local businesses while also securing their place in neighborhoods undergoing change. We also feature toolkits for implementing model creative placemaking initiatives.

As art and artists are increasingly recognized as key assets in the communities where we live and work, we hope these resources provide concrete guidance on how to amplify the voices and increase the impact of this constituency, particularly in catalyzing economic opportunity.