• American Planning Association

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05 September 2011Arts and culture strategies help to reveal and enhance the underlying identity—the unique meaning, value, and character— of the physical and social form of a community. This identity is reflected through the community’s character or sense of place. A community’s sense of place is not a static concept; rather, it evolves and develops over time, reflecting the spectrum of social values within and around the community.

In this way, the community character of a city, county, town, or neighborhood can be seen as a story or narrative of a place. Planners and community members can come together to reveal and burnish this narrative through:

• an articulation of the historic, cultural, economic, and cultural context of the community;
• a commitment to the reinforcement and enhancement of the community’s identity; and
• the implementation of policies, regulations, and incentives that support and enhance this evolving identity.

Awareness of community identity and character is strengthened by the consideration of all community interests in decision- making processes; the integration of arts and cultural resources with civic visioning programs; and the balancing of the inherent conflicting nature of past, present, and future social values.