Vernacular Culture and Urban Economic Development: Thinking Outside the (Big) Box

Abstract Problem: This article addresses the increasing homogeneity of urban commercial areas and the loss of local culture associated with this trend. It seeks to identify strategies that build effectively on vernacular culture as an asset in neighborhood development. Purpose: We aim to identify tools that advance the cultural preservation approach to urban economic development and to describe instances in which planners and neighborhood groups have applied these tools successfully. Methods: We completed a wide-ranging literature review to identify the characteristics of places that have employed cultural preservation approaches and conducted six case studies involving 43 interviews in five cities. Results and conclusions: Our interviews and case studies showed us that there are at least three types of anchors in neighborhoods with strong vernacular culture: 1) markets; 2) ethnic areas and heritage sites; 3) and arts-and-culture venues and districts. Although the balance between preservation and development will be different in each place, we did cull some widely applicable lessons learned while conducting our fieldwork: a) involve residents; b) find assets in local needs; c) transfer lessons rather than replicating others' work; d) create opportunities for ownership; e) if it doesn't exist, invent it; and f) balance culture and commerce. Our analysis also suggests that a neighborhood wishing to pursue a neighborhood development strategy based on vernacular culture should have at least one of the anchors listed above and strong, community-based organizations. Takeaway for practice: We argue that it is both possible and preferable to advance an urban economic development strategy based on the local cultural assets that exist in urban neighborhoods. Our research illustrates different paths that places have taken to advance this kind of strategy and provides several ways for local planners and policymakers to integrate the maintenance of vernacular culture into their larger economic development plans. Research support: Our research was supported by the Fannie Mae Foundation. Keywords: cultural preservationgentrificationlocal economic developmentplace and space Notes 1. For the purposes of this article, we adopt Teitz's definition of a neighborhood as "a contiguous subarea within a city or region that is seen by its inhabitants and others as possessing internal coherence and social meaning" (1989, p. 114). According to CitationTeitz (1989), neighborhoods are "best seen as social communities" rather than economic ones (p. 111). 2. We recognize that there are often tensions between tourists and the communities they visit. See CitationHarrill and Potts (2003) for a closer look at this issue in Charleston, SC. 3. The part of the West Side where District del Sol is located is predominantly Mexican and Mexican American (C. Romano, personal communication, July 2008). 4. NDC is a community-based nonprofit organization that works in the low-income communities of St. Paul, Minneapolis, surrounding suburbs, and elsewhere in Minnesota. NDC helps emerging entrepreneurs develop successful businesses and helps community groups build stronger neighborhood economies. Project for Pride in Living is a nonprofit organization assisting lower-income people and families throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area to work toward self sufficiency through housing, employment training, support services, and education. Whittier CDC is a nonprofit organization that works to strengthen the business community located in the Whittier neighborhood and South Minneapolis. Whittier CDC provides property management services, bookkeeping, financial and consulting services, as well as loan origination with several community-based loan funds. 5. For a thorough look at Mercado Central's development, see CitationSheehan (2003). 6. CitationPolicyLink (2005) is a case study that documents the process of building Market Creek Plaza in much more detail than we can provide here, although we do mention developments that occurred after the PolicyLink research was conducted. 7. Supermarkets remain a large unmet need in many inner-city areas. See CitationPothukuchi (2005) for a discussion of the economic development issues related to inner-city supermarket development. 8. Although 150 new businesses opened during its years of operation, the Main Street program ended in 2005 due to lack of funds. 9. The anchors we identify match the findings of CitationFilion et al. (2004), who found that healthy downtowns of small metropolitan regions in the United States and Canada are characterized by, among other things: cultural activities; historical character; and an active, street-oriented retail scene (p. 331). 10. At Market Creek Plaza, for example, the Cold Stone Creamery and Curves franchises are owned by locals. 11. Over the past several years, the Ford Foundation has worked with the Project for Public Spaces to place public markets at the center of efforts to strengthen neighborhoods with vital public spaces. (Project for Public Spaces & Partners for Livable Communities, 2003) 12. CitationMcKercher and du Cros (2002), citing the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), define heritage as "a broad concept that includes tangible assets, such as natural and cultural environments, encompassing landscapes, historic places, sites, and built environments, as well as intangible assets, such as collections, past and continuing cultural practices, knowledge, and living experiences" (p. 7). 13. See CitationBounds (2007) for a study of the Avenue of the Arts. 14. The idea of linking arts and culture with community revitalization is not new. In 1996, for example, the William Penn Foundation launched an initiative called Culture Builds Community, which had two broad goals: 1) to build future audiences for the arts and culture; and 2) to foster the community-building potential of community arts programs, particularly in poor and disadvantaged areas of the Philadelphia region. See http://www.williampennfoundation.org/usr_doc/cbc_web_posting.pdf. Working papers from this project are available at http://www.sp2.upenn.edu/SIAP/ 15. CitationStern and Seifert (1998) found that: "sections of the city with a strong arts presence had greater population growth and a more rapid decline in poverty during the 1980s; that this revitalization does not fit common notions of gentrification; that patterns of participation of community arts programs contribute to revitalization by breaking down social and economic barriers separating communities; and that community arts programs are strategically located to serve as facilitators of community economic revitalization" (p. 4). This research was conducted in Philadelphia. In later work testing these findings in Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco, the authors argue that the findings hold across these sites (CitationStern, 1999). 16. Some publications sell the arts district idea to economic developers. A 2001 report distributed by the NGA Center for Best Practices, for example, focuses on the potential of arts-oriented strategies to bring in dollars without mentioning the costs of such success to indigenous populations (CitationPsilos & Rapp, 2001).