In an innovative effort to help neighborhood arts thrive, the City of Philadelphia has launched
CultureBlocks, a GIS-enabled mapping tool that helps agencies and grant providers link cultural assets to place.
CultureBlocks was created in partnership with the
Social Impact of the Arts Project at Penn and the
Reinvestment Fund, which provided
PolicyMap, a GIS mapping tool that became the foundation for the site.
"We're trying to showcase what's happening in Philadelphia," says Moira Baylson, deputy cultural officer at the City's
Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. "It's not just about what's happening downtown -- it's exploring the ecosystem of arts and culture. We say on a neighborhood level, but we're really talking about Philadelphia in its entirety."
By typing in a zipcode, neighborhood or council district, users can identify cultural work, events, resources and related information. They can create a profile of an area or match their specific interests to locale. The tool includes more than formal institutions -- with over 50 data sets, it also features collectives, daycares and churches across all neighborhoods.
Ultimately, the app is intended to encourage longterm growth in the creative sector by helping funders and policymakers -- including Parks and Recreation, the Planning Commission, and the Commerce Department -- view arts and culture as an asset for neighborhood development.
The tool is free to the public and expected to serve relocating businesses, community development corporations, organizations looking to build an audience and residents who want to check out the arts in their neighborhood.
"A lot of people understand the role of arts and culture in economy and in creating vibrant neighborhoods," says Baylson. "CultureBlocks is how we demonstrate it."
Source: Moira Baylson, Deputy Cultural Officer at the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
Writer: Dana Henry