A Place of My Own, A Place of Our Own
This policy paper looks at creative placemaking, which is generally described as arts-based community development, in a transatlantic context. While creative placemaking has more purposefully emerged in American circles of government, philanthropy, and community development, European institutions have a long-standing history of investing in the arts as a core driver of healthy societies. This paper frames critical issues facing our society today, ones that have a strong relationship with culture, and then unpacks how cultural policy has evolved in both the United States and Europe. To situate this conversation, the paper looks at a series of case studies in the neighborhoods of Moabit, Berlin and Molenbeek, Brussels, two examples with acute challenges and inspiring arts-based community development. Finally, the paper makes a series of high-level policy recommendations that could benefit from a shared, global conversation around the future of creative placemaking.