Arts and Culture Plan

North Highland Park A Strategic Plan for Neighborhood Revitalization Through Arts and Culture Carson C. Lucarelli Candidate for Master of Urban and Regional Planning L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Virginia Commonwealth University Spring 2014

Plan Purpose I. Increasing access to art and culture will:

-Attract Investment -Increase Community Participation.

-Improve the neighborhood’s image.

II. This plan will address the following issues: - A lack of access to cultural amenities - Community-wide blight

- Commercial disinvestment

North Highland Park North Highland Park

Laburnam Ave.

CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT

Source: Richmond GIS

North Highland Park

Source: Richmond GIS

Figure: Period architecture from the days of the street car remains abandoned

Goal 1: Make Arts and Culture a Priority for the Neighborhood Objective 1.1: Incorporate Arts and Culture into the neighborhood fabric

•Petition the City / Quality of Life Team to create a “Cultural Liaison” position

Objective 1.2: Pursue Funding Sources •Pursue grants at the state, federal and local level

Source: Virginia Commission for the Arts

Goal 2: Enhance Cultural Arts Participation Objective 2.2: Foster a new generation of culturally minded youth

•Reach a benchmark of annually impacted youth; increase figure yearly.

Source: www.villagearts.org

Objective 2.3: Promote and strengthen existing neighborhood festivals

•Increase exposure by inviting multi-cultural organizations to neighborhood festivals to act as cultural vendors.

Source: www.rvaonthecheap.com

Goal 3 Use art and culture to remedy blight and attract investment Objective 3.1: Concentrate public art in targeted locations to enhance the neighborhood appearance • Organize Pop-up Galleries along Meadowbridge Road

Objective 3.2: Leverage the historic character of the neighborhood Lucarelli, 2012.

•Create a new neighborhood logo using volunteers from the Brand Center, MoB and Storefront for Community Design.

Objective 3.3: Strengthen relationships with local businesses •Connect local business owners to artists at an annual workshop Best Practice: The Conference Board, Richmond 2012 Meeting (Source: Americans for the Arts) Figure: www.brandcenter.vcu.edu

Conclusion Neighborhoods like North Highland Park stand to significantly benefit from increased access to arts and culture.

With a new mural and a new strategy, it’s time to continue the momentum‌

Source: Hamilton Glass