Creative Placemaking: Leading Social Change with the Arts

Abstract

Creative placemaking uses the imaginative power of artists to solve community issues, bringing together partners from different sectors of the community. This chapter begins with an overview of placelessness, which describes the aseptic way of designing place in the modern era, and the consequent proliferation of theories of placemaking that aim to bring back the human connection. A brief history situates creative placemaking as a predominantly American policy concept. The main themes that emerge from the international literature are the variety of roles played by the artists in the community, the different kinds of art projects, and the way events can shape places. The section on the United States develops the argument that creative placemaking is part of an American approach to national policymaking that is based not only on mandates but also policy tools such as research, grants, and partnerships. This is followed by an overview of how cultural plans incorporate the concept of creative placemaking and a few examples of projects funded by the NEA and ArtPlace. The final case study demonstrates that we can use the lens of thirdspace to articulate better the way the arts connect with the city on Portland, Oregon.