Urban policymakers need to reconsider the role of arts districts in cities’ economic development

Recent decades have seen the growth of arts districts in many large U.S. cities. These areas are often seen by city authorities as amenities that can be used to attract tourists and the creative class. In new research, Carl Grodach argues that city policymakers may be overlooking the role of the arts as industries and in encouraging economic development. Using a survey of nearly 90 percent of U.S. arts employment, he finds that arts districts tend to cluster in urban ‘innovation districts’, suggesting that they can play a larger role in economic development. He writes that with this in mind, new approaches for arts-based urban development policy may now be needed in order to harness this economic potential.