Arts and Culture in the Metropolis

2007, 122 pages. RAND Corporation, 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202, (703) 413-1100, www.rand.org
PDF online: www.rand.org

This recent report by the RAND corporation provides a new framework for evaluating urban systems of support for the arts. The researchers then used the framework to analyze the common features of cultural support systems in Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Pittsburg. The study isolates the conditions present in all these cities which promote strong metropolitan support for the arts, and then provides specific plans for Philadelphia. The study concludes that cities with strong cultural support have a centralized agency with multiple functions, recognize the contribution of the arts to other city goals, and have a strong arts alliance that encourages arts organizations to collaborate with each other.