Collaborations in Cultural Planning
By Laura Moody
Founding Partner, Marketing & Business Development at Purpose Possible
At Purpose Possible we are passionate about communities and the people that create them. We have been fortunate to lead or participate in a number of cultural planning projects that leveraged that passion and challenged our team to listen more/talk less and redefine what it means to approach and engage a community in creative, responsible ways.
Cultural planning is a public process in which representatives of a community undertake a comprehensive community assessment and create a plan of implementation for future programming. (Americans for the Arts)
Here are some of the questions we ask of ourselves and clients as we begin any planning or strategy process:
Through projects like the Global Villages Plan for the Gwinnett Place CID, an Arts & Culture Plan for City of Atlanta District 2, the first Arts & Culture Plan for the City of Norcross, and years of partnership and multiple projects for Downtown with Central Atlanta Progress, we have built long-lasting collaborations with thoughtful, talented leaders across Metropolitan Atlanta. In the spirit of listening more, I asked a few of these individuals to share their thoughts on how cultural planning and community engagement can and should be woven into all planning initiatives. Here are excerpts of their responses:
Fredalyn Frasier
Project Director, Planning + Urban Design, Atlanta Downtown Improvement District/Central Atlanta Progress
Why is cultural planning an essential component of community development/planning to you?
“There’s the term ‘genius loci’ that those of us in the planning and design profession use quite a bit. It’s the textbook way of referencing the spirit of place. Plainly put, it’s the essence or soul of a place, and it means a lot to me. Cultural planning reveals the soul of a community in its past, how it stands out in the present and ways it can contribute to the future of a community. Experience has taught me that whether it’s a master planning effort for 72K acres or a community plan for the home of the blues in Clarksdale, MS, what makes the plan relevant to a community at any scale is an acknowledgment of the spirit of the place and why cultural planning should always show up as an integral element in the planning process.”
When starting a project in a new community, what are the most important things you hope to learn about the people and the place?
“I view planning efforts as a community collaboration and try to suspend preconceived notions of what might be discovered during the project. There’s always a great deal of enthusiasm with the launch of a new project, but listening more than offering ideas at the onset always reveals significant information that serves as building blocks to more extensive dialogue with the community. Community members will indicate what is important to them and their place rather than the other way around. So, with each project, there’s the hope to understand the values, aspirations, and challenges as revealed by community members in their own words and keep the door open for other revelations which always appear.”
Anything else you would like to share about the importance of cultural planning as a tool for?
“Yes! The ‘spirit of place’ revealed through cultural planning can serve as the platform for developing authentic planning approaches for a community. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated to us that places matter – period. How each community experiences ‘its place’ is unique, and knowing those cultural touch points can make way for reflective community solutions. We recognize that planning incorporates high-level technical analysis to people-oriented observation approaches to address infrastructure/economic development/growth needs. Understanding the culture and spirit of a place can inform these approaches.”
Dorian McDuffie
Public Art Project ManagerPublic Art Project Manager
City of Atlanta Department of City Planning, Atlanta City Studio
Why is cultural planning an important component of community development/planning to you?
“The amount of revenue that arts and culture bring to a city has been established, but how does that translate to the importance of arts and culture to a community? That’s what’s important to me, how do we make planning decisions (cultural and otherwise) for our citizens that are equitable and reflect who they are and what they need.Cultural planning is a tool for cities to create vibrant communities that can support cultural institutions, artists, and audiences. This planning has the responsibility to help a community establish a cultural life that is equitable, sustainable, and resilient. As a result of cultural planning, ALL citizens should be able to consume culture in an environment in which they are comfortable and that provides a social and economic impact. The support of small, innovative, entrepreneurial, off-the-beaten-track organizations should be reflected in the planning process. The needs of individual artists should also be considered. Are there affordable places to live? Is there affordable studio/performance space?“
When starting a project in a new community, what are the most important things you hope to learn about the people and the place?
“I want to start by understanding the physical infrastructure in which they are currently operating… what development plans currently exist, what are the current zoning regulations, are there existing housing and economic development programs in their neighborhood. What does the City have planned for their neighborhood (transportation, sidewalk repair, etc.)? Once I understand that framework, I understand where they currently stand from a planning perspective. Utilizing cultural asset mapping I would want to learn about existing cultural resources (library, art gallery, dance studio, museum) and the skillset of the community. Who has a book club? How many artists live in the neighborhood? What are their disciplines? Who can teach what? I’d also like to know who has lived in that neighborhood historically, and what indigenous tribe once inhabited the land.
Finally, and most importantly, I’d like to know about the existing community, how they operate day to day and how arts and culture be incorporated into that movement. What does the community want from their government when it comes to supporting culture (Do we need additional grants? a Materials for the Arts program? or Investment in the arts beyond CIty of Atlanta’s Cultural Affairs Grants)? What educational, transportation, and business needs do the community have that can be enhanced or solved through successful cultural planning.”
Anything else you would like to share about the importance of cultural planning as a tool for growth/economic development/planning for future infrastructure needs, etc?
“Atlanta needs to be acutely aware of its cultural ecosystem as it exists and as it should exist in the future (based on existing population and growth). If we broke the city into strata based on economic status, where would we find most of our cultural resources located? Where and how many cultural districts do we need to accommodate a city this size? What kind of staffing and program needs should the city accommodate internally? This work should come about with the additional lens of cultural expertise and policymakers around the nation. We should be looking at other cities like New York, Chicago, and Denver to determine what policy measures world-class cities implement around arts and culture.”
Allison Stewart-Harris, AICP
Planning Studio Manager, TSW
Why is cultural planning an important component of community development/planning to you?
“For me, it’s all about connecting to the places where we live and the people around us. Knowing the stories about how the community grew, who shaped it, and how its strange quirks came to be…I think it can go a long way in creating a stronger sense of belonging.”
When starting a project in a new community, what are the most important things you hope to learn about the people and the place?
“I like to try to understand the relationship between the physical place and the people who influence it. I’m less concerned about the typical history highlight reel of founding fathers and laying cornerstones, and more interested in how different groups of people have subtly made their mark over time. And most importantly, I want to understand who is there today, and how well the place is meeting their needs and supporting the lives they want to live.
Anything else you would like to share about the importance of cultural planning as a tool for growth/economic development/planning for future infrastructure needs, etc?
“Cultural planning is a huge benefit to communities, but it’s easy as a city or an organization to have too heavy a hand. I think it’s more important to cultivate environments where creativity can thrive—and sometimes that means getting out of our own way and loosening up our control. That’s a hard thing for planners to do!”
To learn more about cultural planning and how it can impact your organization, please contact Laura Moody at lmoody@purposepossible.com.