Museums, Libraries and Urban Vitality

This volume documents the growing trend for cities and towns throughout America to use museums and libraries as vehicles for economic development. Museums of all types and sizes, and libraries from main street behemoths to neighborhood branches, are being used to stimulate inner-city revitalization as well as neighborhood renewal programs. These public amenities draw citizens, tourists and new development to a city’s venues, providing a public place for people to focus and gather. In short, the small public investment paid for these cultural centers is much less than the dollars returned to taxpayers from tourism and economic development.

This collection of essays presents case studies from Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, Charleston, Christchurch, Cincinnati, Denver, Des Moines, Hartford, Germantown, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Lanark, Little Rock, Memphis, Minneapolis, Miramar, Pekin, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Prince Rupert, St. Louis, St. Paul, San Jose, Seattle, Tacoma, Tallahassee, Toronto, Valencia, and Wakefield. The case study topics include the role of museums and libraries in promoting urban renewal and downtown redevelopment, revitalizing urban centers, enhancing “smart communities,” influencing eco-friendly municipal construction trends, and stimulating private development. The work includes several regional and national resource directories, a glossary, and an index to facilitate reference to particular communities and projects throughout the country.

Roger L. Kemp, Ph.D., ICMA-CM, has been a city manager on both the East and West coasts for more than 25 years. He is presently Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University and a Fellow of The Academy of Political Science.

Marcia Trotta is the director of Library Services for the Berlin Free Public Library in Berlin, Connecticut. She is a past president of the Connecticut Library Association, and has been twice honored as their Outstanding Librarian of the Year.

Edited by Roger L. Kemp and Marcia Trotta

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 310
Bibliographic Info: appendices, notes, index
Copyright Date: 2008
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3468-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vi
Preface      1
Introduction: Marcia Trotta and Roger L. Kemp      3

Part I. Cities and Culture
1. New City Centers and Culture
Christopher Duerksen and Gregory Dale      7
2. Planning for Cultural Attractions
Nancy Moses      12
3. The Role of Museums
Kathleen Sylvester      17
4. The Role of Libraries
Urban Libraries Council      22
5. Rural Areas and Community Development
Bernard Vavrek      25

Part II: The Best Practices
6. Baltimore Uses Museums to Create Public Space
Guillermo Lopez      31
7. Boston Uses Museums to Revitalize Inner-City Area
Robert A. Brown      36
8. Brooklyn Links Museums and Libraries to Improve Public Services
Cheryl Bartholow      40
9. Charleston Library Anchors Downtown Redevelopment Project
William Fulton and Chris Jackson      45
10. Christchurch Museums and Libraries Create Economic Development Model
Jonathan Walters      49
11. Cincinnati Uses Culture to Revitalize Its Urban Core
Raymond L. Buse III      54
12. Denver Uses Culture to Stimulate Private Development
Cynthia L. Kemper      58
13. Des Moines, Other Cities, Use Libraries to Promote Their Urban Centers
Urban Libraries Council      62
14. Hartford and Other Cities Promote Computer Literacy
Urban Libraries Council      67
15. Germantown Public Officials Save Their Library
Patrick Lawton      73
16. Indianapolis Uses Libraries to Revitalize Neighborhoods
Anne Jordan      77
17. Kansas City Uses Culture to Transform Its Downtown
Howard Kozloff      82
18. Lanark and Other Cities Use Rural Libraries to Promote Community Development
Norman Waizer and John J. Gruidl      86
19. Little Rock Focuses on Cultural Assets to Restore Its Riverfront Area
Robert J. Gorman and Nancy Egan      92
20. Memphis and Other Cities Use Libraries to Promote Literacy
Urban Libraries Council      96
21. Minneapolis Uses Arts and Culture as Economic Development Incentives
Wendy Wheeler      103
22. Miramar and Other Cities Use Libraries and Cultural Amenities to Create
Town Center
Mike Sheridan      106
23. Pekin and Other Cities Use Libraries to Enhance Economic Development
Norman Walzer and Karen Scott      110
24. Philadelphia and Other Cities Use Museums as Vehicles to Promote Urban
Development
Susan Breitkopf      125
25. Phoenix Uses Museums as Focus for Renewal in Its Downtown
William Fulton      130
26. Portland and Other Cities Use Libraries to Promote Their Downtowns
Anne Jordan      136
27. Prince Rupert and Other Cities Use Libraries to Promote “Smart Communities”
Movement
Trina A. Innes      142
28. St. Louis Places Monetary Value on Public Library Services
Glen E. Holt, Donald Elliott, and Amonia Moore      148
29. St. Paul Uses Branch Library to Anchor Mixed-Use Development
Ellen Perlman      160
30. San Jose Builds “Green” Library
J. Lindsey Wolf, Lorraine Oback, and Jane Christophersen      164
31. San Jose Creates Joint City and University Library
Lorraine Oback      167
32. Seattle Builds Public Library to Attract Private Investment to Its Downtown
Urban Libraries Council      169
33. Tacoma Uses Museums to Promote Its Culture
Juli Wilkerson      173
34. Tallahassee and Other Cities Place a Value on Cultural Amenities
Glenda E. Hood      175
35. Toronto Embraces Museums for Its Cultural Renaissance
Albert Warson      179
36. Valencia Focuses on Museums and Libraries to Create a “Sense of Place”
Thomas L. Lee      182
37. Wakefield and Other Cities Use Libraries to Stimulate Neighborhood Renewal
Richard Bertman and Alfred Wojciechowski      189

Part III: The Future
38. Urban Design, Culture, and the Public Realm
Charles Lockwood      193
39. Urban Planning and the Future
Philip N. Loheed and Brandy H.M. Brooks      197
40. Urban Creativity, Culture, and the Future
John M. Eger      201
41. Placing an Economic Value on Our Cultural Heritage
Susan Mourato and Massimiliano Mazzanti      206
42. The Economic Impact of Cultural Attractions
Billy Kinsey, Jr.      230
43. Cities, Culture, and the Future
Marcia Trotta and Roger L. Kemp      235

Appendices:
I. Library Acronyms      241
II. Museum Acronyms      244
III. Regional Resource Directory      246
IV. National Resource Directory      247
V. Cultural Websites      248
VI. Facts About Libraries and Museums      249
VII. Cultural Policy Milestones of the U.S. Federal Government      250
VIII. State Library Agencies Directory      257
IX. State Municipal League Directory      263
XI. Regional Museum Associations Directory      267
XII. National Museum Directory      268
XIII. National Art Museum Directory      281

About the Editors and Contributors      291
Index      295

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