More and more communities across Canada recognize that creativity, culture and quality of place can be powerful generators of economic development in changing economies. A major factor driving many communities to see the potential of culture-led economic development is a basic shift in assumptions about what drives local economies. A traditional economic growth model in which the attraction of large-scale business investment attracts jobs and people is being turned on its head. Instead, we understand that if we build communities in which people want to live and work, business and investment follow people, not the other way around. Places with strong community amenities and a range of cultural assets and entertainment options attracts people, which in turn attract business investment. With these conclusions comes the need for new strategies to cultivate cultural resources to drive economic development.
In this video, Gord Hume discusses the importance of municipal cultural planning as an essential tool for Ontario municipalities in reinventing and regenerating local economies.
In 2007, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent completed Culture, Economy, Community: A Cultural Plan for Chatham-Kent. Create C-K is a community engagement and partnership mechanism established to support the implementation of the plan. Watch this video on the Business Meets the Arts and Culture event in April 2010 convened by Create C-K and see how attitudes toward creativity and culture have been transformed in the municipality.
