One of the enduring themes of our trip was that of
place-based development. One of our trip leaders describes this as “improving
quality of life for folks where they are”. The directors of research centers,
incubators, and businesses we are meeting with talk about it as “making
Virginia a great place to live first and to work second”. A town planner
described the competing challenges of development and gentrification as
determining whether “the hipsters are going to save us”.
This challenge is the central research concern of economists like Elizabeth Currid, Ed Glaser and Richard Florida. Our trip demonstrated that many of the same arguments that are made about arts and culture as a driving force in the economic development of large cities also apply in smaller centers. In her book about place-based creative economies, The Warhol Economy, Elizabeth Currid argues forcefully that government policy plays an essential role in attracting or repelling cultural producers. Thoughtful policy-making (whether zoning, permitting or tax credits) can build vibrant and dynamic cultural zones. The first step is recognising that art and culture generate real growth and jobs. The role of governments, as Currid argues, is to do everything they can to leverage culture: as a tourist attraction, an amenity and as a job and wealth generator.
Against that backdrop, my three “place-based” lessons from
the trip are:
1. Physical place matters
The
most successful community development strategies leverage the existing physical,
cultural and human assets of a location. We were lucky enough to hear from Pete
Eschelman about using Roanoke’s physical environs to design America’s toughest
marathon (sidenote: it continues to amaze me that people will pay good money to
be exhausted, hungry and in need of a shower. Most of my friendship with Nate
Betcher has involved recognising how very little we have in common).
We also visited the gorgeous mixed-use warehouse district of
Danville, which puts converted buildings in many major cities to shame. Finally,
we were privileged to share in the story of the development of FloydFest and
the growth of Floyd as one of the destination locations for those passionate
about the American music scene.
2. Meaning-making matters
Arts
and culture help people and communities make sense of themselves and their
place in the world. They are means to feel heard, and included. Events like
FloydFest put communities on the map, and give them a positive story to tell
the world.
3. Community superheroes matter, but
they aren’t enough
On our travels, we were grateful to be welcomed into the
homes and workplaces of many social entrepreneurs – people at the very heart of
a town or city’s revitalisation. It would be easy to characterise these
powerful indviduals as the single catalyst for change in moribund economic
landscapes. But the reality, of course, is more complex. Each of these
individuals acknowledged that their own success was linked to community
support, dedicated and responsive government officials and a manageable
regulatory environment.
The arts and
cultures of our cities and towns matter. They tell us who we are and whisper
about what we might become. They enrich our communities in every sense. Currid
again: "Creative industries require a different type of policy-making that
cultivates the social world in which art and culture thrive." Some of the
communities of Southside it appears, are well on the way.
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