Creative Districts

The Assessing Creative Districts project is part of longterm partnership between the Community Engagement, Design and Research (CEDaR) Center, Colorado Creative Industries, CU Boulder's  Office for Outreach and Engagement and select Colorado communities. For this project we are investigating the benefits of creative districts for community and economic development in western small towns and cities in light of the rapid spread of this strategy across Colorado municipalities.

 

To understand the nature of creative districts, we examine the process, implementation and outcomes of other such projects in various stages of development across the nation. This will help us build a framework for evaluation specific to our regional context and provide feedback to local communities. In addition, and in comparison with similar programs nationwide, we also conduct interviews with local stakeholders and creative producers, assess economic and demographic data and visit the sites of creative districts to see physical impacts and engage with community members.

Each fall the Creative District Leadership Covening, co-organized by the CU Boulder Office for Outreach and Engagement and Colorado Creative Industries (CCI), brings Colorado's creative district leaders together to highlight the work of students and faculty, addressing issues related to arts and creativity in Colorado communities. 

Other participants: Georgia Lindsay (instructor)

Partners: CEDaR, Colorado Creative Industries, the CU Boulder Office for Outreach and Engagement, and select Colorado communities.