Lessons, successes and challenges of Creative Placemaking – the intentional integration of arts, culture and community-engaged design into neighborhood planning – are highlighted through a series of white papers launched by The Kresge Foundation.

Kresge’s Arts & Culture Program, entering its seventh year of funding Creative Placemaking work, has partnered with allies from different fields and sectors to author five papers, sharing learnings and observations from the field. The first paper was released earlier this month and the remainder will be published during the course of 2018.

The initial paper, The Kresge Foundation Arts & Culture Program: The First Decade, traces the evolution of the program – from decades of providing capital challenge grants for buildings, to capitalization and community arts, and finally the current Creative Placemaking strategy.

The other papers will be released throughout the year, addressing topics that include:

• Creative Placemaking on-the-ground impacts
• Creative Placemaking field observations
•  Catalyzing Culture and Community Through Community Development Finance Institutions (CFDIs)
• Anchor strategies

The goal is to help illuminate the foundation’s approach to grantmaking, share lessons learned, identify challenges and opportunities encountered, and encourage conversations among peer grantmakers and Creative Placemaking practitioners.

The Kresge Foundation’s unique niche in the Creative Placemaking field is its commitment to influence community development-related systems and practices that expand opportunities for residents in America’s disinvested urban communities.

“Our goal is to add to the growing toolbox of resources that illuminate the promising practices of Creative Placemaking as an integral part of community planning and development, and how it can expand opportunities for residents with low incomes,” said Regina R. Smith, managing director of the foundation’s Arts & Culture Program.