Book Description: Urban and regional planners, elected officials, and other decisionmakers are increasingly focused on what makes places "livable." Many factors are involved, including the arts and culture, which make a crucial contribution to community development. But knowledge about arts and culture as a development tool and what works at various urban and regional levels is lacking. What art forms or types of arts-related employment matter the most, and in what neighborhoods? How does a city ensure that "the arts" is not defined simply by a core of long-established major arts institutions? What state and local policies best foster the development of strong local arts scenes?

Creative Communities offers answers and provides an understanding of "how art works." A central theme is that the arts are an amenity or sector to be considered not in isolation but as a wholly integrated part of the local economy. Using original data and quantitative and qualitative methods, the contributors investigate the arts as an engine for transforming communities and as an integral, measurable component of the U.S. economy. Topics include location choices by arts entrepreneurs, links between the arts and non-arts sectors, public policies to foster local arts organizations, and the arts' effects on incomes in cities across the nation.

The complex role of the arts in local growth has made empirical research in this field especially challenging. The new research in this volume will be warmly welcomed by scholars who seek to understand this dynamic relationship and policymakers who strive to promote the economic growth and development of their communities.

This volume has been edited by Michael Rushton for the National Endowment for the Arts, Office of Research & Analysis.