On Monday, January 12, 2015, the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University welcomed AAEP faculty member Dr. Shoshanah Goldberg-Miller to deliver a lecture as part of the Glenn Colloquium Series. The City and Regional Planning Section of the Knowlton School of Architecture has since awarded her a courtesy appointment for her work. See Dr. Goldberg-Miller's presentation and research abstract below:

Stakeholder Partnerships and the Cultural City: Creative economic development policy in Toronto and New York

 by 

Shoshanah B.D. Goldberg-Miller

Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy

The Ohio State University

Abstract

There is increasing recognition of the efficacy of arts and culture as a valuable component in the urban economic development toolkit. While economic development priorities include strengthening city centers as magnets for leisure, work and tourism, the focus often is on more immediate forms of revenue creation. Differences in goals and priorities between individual departments in municipal governments can make collaboration between them a challenge.

Centered on a comparative case study of New York and Toronto and informed by 42 semi-structured interviews and extensive archival and historical research, this paper investigates ways municipal cultural policy became part of the economic development lexicon in each city over the 2000s. During the decade, both cities were successful in articulating economic arguments for arts and culture.

Consultation, open dialogue, and advice from cross-sector experts are hallmarks of successful agenda setting processes. Relationship building may take place between municipal actors or extend to private and public sector actors, federal and provincial governments, the cultural community, and creative economy stakeholders. By functioning as a convener and locus for creative city aspirations and activity, the municipality can leverage private sector support while gaining buy-in from the stakeholder communities it serves.

Three principles for policymakers, planners, cultural stakeholders and policy entrepreneurs emerge: 1) Use research and strategic planning to analyze how arts and culture interventions can support municipal economic development agendas and be integrated into numerous policy interventions; 2) Build and cultivate relationships and stakeholder partnerships across policy domains and throughout sectors; 3) Integrate arts and culture into economic development frameworks incorporating both economic benefit and social good.    

For more information, including the schedule of future speakers, visit the Glen Colloquium Series page.