Hi Crystal,

You may have already seen/referenced this, but in terms of impact (creative placemaking and public art), I like to mention the recent Soul of the City study:

The Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Community initiative surveyed some 43,000 people in 43 cities and found that the more attachment people felt to the communities in which they lived, the better they performed economically. The three most important factors for personal attachment they found:

· Openness/”welcomeness” – how welcoming the community is to different people

· Aesthetics – physical beauty, art, parks, and green spaces

· Social offerings - opportunities for social interaction and citizen caring

These factors ranked higher than education, safety, and the local economy as a “driver of attachment.” The study's other key finding was that there is an empirical relationship between higher levels of attachment and cities' GDP growth.

Here are a few other articles I have referenced (many originated from this list, on another thread) when speaking of the impact of public art or creative placemaking:

· https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/city-puts-impact-of-waterfalls-at-69-million/

· https://medium.com/@nimbleground/placemaking-in-economic-development-da0749ea5132?mc_cid=048c69ea36&mc_eid=66171a78f3

· Attachment: Why stimulus spending should go to public art - The Atlantic.pdf (application/pdf)

· Attachment: The Economic Case for Public Art - Shepherd Express.pdf (application/pdf)

· Attachment: Public art is not just culture. It brings energy and cash to our cities _ London Evening Standard.pdf (application/pdf)

Best,

Alejandra Pelinka

Director of Creative Placemaking

City of Bloomington

Office: (952) 563-8744

Direct: (952) 563-8796

Mobile: (651) 529-0593

MN Relay 711

apelinka@bloomingtonmn.gov

1800 West Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, MN 55431-3027