Arts-rich neighborhoods are 1.6x more connected.
Art and community development strengthens social networks. Residents living on a block where such projects took place were 1.6 times more likely to report they felt more connected to the neighbors.
Art and community development strengthens social networks. Residents living on a block where such projects took place were 1.6 times more likely to report they felt more connected to the neighbors.
Art and community development results in greater tax revenues. The downtown Phoenix creativity hub yielded a 105% increase in tax receipts, compared to a city-wide decline of 1.04%.
Love for your community leads to economic growth. Data from a three-year study show a significant link between resident attachment and local GDP growth, with the arts as a critical component.
Arts activities increase residents’ interest in getting involved in local issues and projects, including discussions of infrastructure. 86% of participants want to be involved in future projects and people living where projects occurred were more than twice as likely to be civically engaged as those whose blocks did not have projects.
The arts drive trust, and trust drives community satisfaction. Levels of civic engagement predict the quality of community life and residents' happiness better than education or income. In the communities with the highest trust, 52% gave their community a top rating as a place to live; in the communities with the lowest levels of social trust, only 31% felt positively.