Neighborhood diversity, economic health, and the role of the arts

Foster, Nicole; Grodach, Carl; Murdoch, James

Abstract

Copyright © 2016 Urban Affairs Association Policymakers pursue a range of strategies aimed at diversifying neighborhoods despite research indicating the complicated and potentially damaging results of these efforts. One increasingly common approach is to incorporate the arts into planning efforts in the hope of enhancing diversity and catalyzing positive neighborhood change. Using data from the Cultural Data Project, the authors determine where newly established New York City arts organizations locate in terms of neighborhood racial, income, and industry diversity. They then analyze how diverse contexts interact with an arts presence to impact neighborhood economic health over time. They find that neighborhoods with high levels of racial diversity and low levels of income and industry diversity benefit most from an arts presence. However, the arts are attracted predominantly to neighborhoods with moderate levels of racial diversity and high levels of income and industry diversity. This complicates the use of the arts as a tool in urban revitalization policy.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 5, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Dec 28, 2016
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Feb 6, 2018
• Journal: Journal of Urban Affairs
• Print ISSN: 0735-2166
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-9906
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 38
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 623-642
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/juaf.12278
• Keywords: neighborhood, diversity, economic health, arts
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/918873
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/juaf.12278
• Contract Date: Feb 6, 2018