Cultural Districts: An Investment in Rich Urban Life

This report, commissioned by the Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) and written by Kiley Arroyo describes diverse tools that cultural districts can use to spur investment and create new revenue streams while protecting the local character and neighborhood identity. It is the first consolidated source of advice on finance mechanisms, public policies, and equity-centered practices — known as value-capture tools — that can be used to recover and reinvest increases in real estate value that benefit communities as well as property owners and developers.

The Cultural Infrastructure Index, undertaken for the Global Cultural Districts Network by AEA Consulting, seeks to measure investment in capital projects in the cultural sector, identifying projects with a budget of US$10 million or more that were publicly announced or completed within a calendar year. “Cultural infrastructure” comprises museums, performing arts centers, and cultural hubs or districts, and projects tracked include new buildings, renovations, and expansions. This inaugural Cultural Infrastructure Index covers 2016. The collected data reveals some US$8.45 billion in new physical assets that came online last year (101 completed projects), and a further US$8.54 billion in investment announced across 135 new projects. Our analysis shows the median budget for announced projects (US$36 million) is lower than that for completed projects (US$41 million).