Artistic and cultural ventures are often most successful when clustered together, so they can share resources, capitalize on each other’s success, and create a “scene” that will attract attention.  While such clusters are most vibrant when they develop organically, public policy can support the development of arts districts and help to protect those that already exist.  

Many communities have designated “arts districts.” These districts can encompass a wide range of public and private actions, and can include tax subsidies, zoning changes, community-developed arts district plans, and marketing and branding campaigns. Whether formally designated or not, arts districts provide a range of benefits: they raise the visibility and marketability of the arts to the public, provide a forum around which cultural coalitions can coalesce, create opportunities for social cohesion, and can stimulate new real estate investments.  Municipalities seeking to achieve one or more of these goals may consider creating an arts district, tailored to the unique local context.

Public resources are one important component of the funding needed to develop new facilities in arts districts.  In particular, the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund provides grants to support the acquisition, design, repair, rehabilitation, renovation, expansion, or construction of nonprofit cultural facilities in Massachusetts.  By requiring matching funds, the CFF helps to leverage private resources; however, state allocations have declined each year since the fund’s creation.  The Legislature should stabilize and eventually increase support for this fund.   

Artistic and cultural establishments have diverse transportation needs. Artist studios and galleries may only generate occasional visitors, though may attract large crowds during major events such as open studios.  Other large institutions may experience large crowds on a regular basis.  A 2002 household survey in Metropolitan Boston found that 23% of respondents said “difficulty or cost of getting to or parking at events” was a “big reason” they did not attend more performing arts events.  This does not necessarily mean that art and cultural organizations need an overabundance of parking.  Local planners should seek innovative strategies to meet the needs of arts facilities, through shared parking or transportation demand management strategies.  The state should also provide financial support public transit access and transportation demand management plans for new facilities funded through the Cultural Activities Facilities Fund.  

Artists contribute greatly to neighborhood vitality, but they need places to live and work.  They frequently move from one “frontier neighborhood” to another, always just a step ahead of the wave of displacement.  Efforts must be undertaken to build more artists’ housing and to provide artists with greater security against displacement.  Excellent opportunities for such housing exist not only in core communities like Boston, Cambridge and Somerville, but in smaller cities within the Inner Core as well as Regional Urban Centers.

16.a    Municipalities should adopt zoning incentives to incentivize the creation and clustering of arts facilities

16.b    The state legislature should stabilize and increase allocations to the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund

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