|
How the Arts and Culture Sector Catalyzes Economic Vitality Page 4 of 5
<br /> film and arts festivals,development of garden and museum trails,seasonal crafts and events,and
<br /> theater packages.Lead applicants must be nonprofit organizations,but they can partner to seek
<br /> funding for both profit and nonprofit ventures.
<br /> Brooklyn,New York,is experiencing an economic transformation as a result of food.A growing
<br /> gastronomical entrepreneurial energy is transforming once industrial,underutilized pockets of
<br /> Brooklyn Into culinary oases.Entrepreneurs in their 20s and 30s,who often have a strong sense of
<br /> community and creativity,are opening restaurants,bars,pubs,specialty shops,butcheries,coffee
<br /> shops,and other food production and processing facilities throughout the borough.These businesses
<br /> are not only meeting the growing local and regional demand for locally produced and wholesome foods
<br /> but also creating an incubator for culinary quality,craftsmanship,and artistry.For example,the
<br /> outputs of Cut Brooklyn,a knifemaking business,become the inputs for Brooklyn Kitchen,a specialty
<br /> store;cacao nibs,a product of Mast Brothers Chocolate,and Ethiopian coffee beans from Gorilla
<br /> Coffee are added to beer at Sixpoint Craft Ales;and root vegetables purchased from a nearby farmers
<br /> market are combined with wort from Sixpoint to make relish at Wheelhouse Pickles.
<br /> This new collaboration between business owners is resulting in increased economic vitality and sense
<br /> of community between merchants as well as residents.13 In February 2010,recognition of the
<br /> economic,environmental,health,and social impacts of food production,processing,access,
<br /> consumption,and waste disposal prompted residents of New York City and the Manhattan borough
<br /> president to develop"FoodNYC:A Blueprint for a Sustainable Food System,"a report that establishes
<br /> goals and provides recommendations for Improving and balancing the health,economic,and
<br /> environmental needs of the city.This report recognizes the untapped economic potential of the
<br /> region's food system,as well as the health,equity,and environmental challenges of this economic
<br /> sector.
<br /> Conclusion
<br /> The economic development field has changed in the last decade from one that primarily emphasized
<br /> location and firm-based approaches to one that more overtly acknowledges the development of human
<br /> capital.Human capital refers to the sets of skills,knowledge,and value contributed by a population
<br /> and has become a recognized asset as firms choose where to locate(and cities choose what to
<br /> advertise and develop and whom to recruit)and entrepreneurs develop economic activity.
<br /> Members of some sectors of today's workforce seek certain characteristics in the places they choose to
<br /> live.Places with entertainment options,public interaction,lively streets,and recreational and
<br /> educational amenities are preferred,along with arts and culture activities and amenities.Leaders In
<br /> the field of planning and economic development are developing noteworthy,creative approaches to
<br /> making places of any scale more satisfying to this workforce,while increasing economic viability and
<br /> competitiveness.
<br /> This briefing paper was written by M.Christine Dwyer(senior vice president,RMC Research
<br /> Corporation)and Kelly Ann Beavers(PhD candidate,Virginia Tech,and American Planning Association
<br /> arts and culture intern),and edited by Kimberley Hodgson,AICP(manager,Planning and Community
<br /> Health Research Center,American Planning Association).
<br /> Endnotes
<br /> 1.Landry 2000;Florida 2002.
<br /> 2.Ingo Saffron,"Changing Skyline:Phila.Architects Offer Some Homegrown Ideas,"Philadelphia
<br /> Inquirer,October 9,2009.
<br /> 3.Richard Florida,The Rise of the Creative Gass(New York:Basic Books,2003).
<br /> 4.Richard Florida,Who's Your City?:How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most
<br /> Important Decision of Your Life(New York:Basic Books,2009).
<br /> 5.Rick Romancito,"Taos Arts and Cultural District a First for New Mexico,"Taos News,October 24,
<br /> 2009;available at www.taosnews.com/articles/2009/10/28/entertainment/
<br /> doc4ae31f6a1733e086547611.txt.See also www.taosgov.com.
<br /> 6.APA Arts,Culture and Creativity survey,2009.
<br /> 7."Testimony by NGA Center for Best Practices Director John Thomasian before the House Education
<br /> and Labor Committee on the Economic and Employment Impact of the Arts and Music Industry,"
<br /> March 26,2009;available at www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/
<br /> menuitem.Of8c660ba7cf98d18a278110501O1Oa0/?vgnextoid=db4bd3685244O210VgnV
<br /> CM1000005e00100aRCRD.
<br /> 8."Willoughby Windows:Vacant Brooklyn Block Becomes Street Art Gallery,"August 12,2009;
<br /> available at www.psfk.com/2009/08/willoughby-windows-vacant-brookiyn-blockbecomes-street-art-
<br /> gallery.html.
<br /> 9.Yvonne Abraham,"Local Artists See Windows of Opportunity,"Boston Globe,June 7,2005.
<br /> Available at www.boston.com/news/local/artides/2005/06/07/
<br /> local_artists_see_windows_ofopportunity.
<br /> 10.Testimony by NGA Center for Best Practices Director John Thomasian.
<br /> 11.See www.cultureandtourism.org/cct/cwp/view.asp?a=2211&q=293780.
<br /> 12.Testimony by NGA Center for Best Practices Director John Thomasian.
<br /> 13.See Oliver Sthwaner-Albright,"Brooklyn's New Culinary Movement,"New York Times,February
<br /> 24,2009,available at www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/dining/25brookiyn.html;"More Voices from
<br /> Brooklyn,"New York Times,February 26,2009,available at http://
<br /> dinersjoumal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/more-voices-from-brookiyn;and Kim Severson,"Young
<br /> Idols with Cleavers Rule the Stage,"New York Times,available at www.
<br /> nytimes.com/2009/07/08/dining/08butch.html.
<br /> Arts and Culture Briefing Papers
<br /> This is one in a series of briefing papers on how planners can work with partners in the arts and
<br /> culture sector and use creative strategies to achieve economic,social,environmental,and community
<br /> goals.
<br /> Prepared by the American Planning Association,as part of a collaborative project with the RMC
<br /> Research Corporation and with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation.
<br /> https://www.planning.org/research/arts/briefingpapers/vitality.htm 6/11/2014
<br />
|