Community and Cultural Assessments

A key element of placemaking is to determine what you have in your community so you can plan where you would like to go. Community & Cultural Assessments are one tool to evaluate and establish a clear understanding of your cultural assets, whether you are working in one small community or a collection of several small communities. This page provides a collection of assessment tools and methods ranging from smaller assessments to intensive planning processes. These activities can be scaled for beginner, intermediate, and advanced placemaking projects.

dPlan | ArtsReady Disaster Planning Tool for Arts and Culture

dPlan|ArtsReady Disaster Planning Tool for Arts and Culture

Regardless of your organization’s size, scope or discipline, risk assessment and disaster planning are critical components that ensure your organization’s safety and longevity while preserving its assets and collections. dPlan|ArtsReady equips arts and cultural organizations with tools and resources for preparedness and response.

River Town Review Toolkit from National Park Service

River Town Review Toolkit from National Park Service

If your river town is ready to reach it’s outdoor potential and become more vibrant and successful, the River Town Review Toolkit can help. The Toolkit leads river towns through an assessment of their outdoor recreation resources. Then, it helps develop recommendations to enhance those resources, in turn, bolstering the local economy.

SPOTLIGHT: “What Would I Look Like?” Hip Hop and Black Placemaking Study

SPOTLIGHT: “What Would I Look Like?” Hip Hop and Black Placemaking Study

In-depth interviews with 25 self-defined rap/hip-hop artists explore the significance of place in modern hip-hop. Bringing together historical studies of hip-hop and sociological neighborhood studies, the authors examine how exposure to concentrated disadvantage shapes hip-hop artists’ community connections.

Creating Livable Communities

SPOTLIGHT: NIRPC’s Creating Livable Communities Report

SPOTLIGHT: NIRPC’s Creating Livable Communities Report

Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) developed Creating Living Communities to support community-based transportation/land use projects that bring vitality to communities in order to fund development and redevelopment projects.

CAMP-Kit - Austin’s Cultural Asset Mapping Project

CAMP-Kit - Austin’s Cultural Asset Mapping Project

Cultural asset mapping is an approach used around the world to collect citizen input about cultural resources and help communities articulate their community’s needs. Conducting your own CAMP project can serve as an important first step in organizing your community in support of the arts.

SENDD's Broadband Mapping Initiative

SPOTLIGHT: SENDD’s Broadband Mapping Initiative

SPOTLIGHT: SENDD’s Broadband Mapping Initiative

In an effort to better understand the state’s broadband capacity, the Southeast Nebraska Development District (SENDD) launches a statewide broadband speed mapping initiative to give elected officials, businesses, and the public accurate data, in order to connect rural communities and support future broadband expansion grants and projects across the state.

Cultural Equity Planning

Cultural Equity Planning

Cultural Equity Planning

A Cultural Plan helps towns, cities, counties, regions, and states take account of their cultural assets, strengthen their economies by leveraging these assets, facilitate deeper social cohesion, and support the vibrancy of communities by focusing on what makes them so great in the first place: culture.

Radical Walking

Radical Walking

Radical Walking

Radical Walking is an activity to engage participants as they walk through and examine their surroundings and ultimately share their ideas and visions for creative placemaking.

Creative Placemaking Toolkit

Creative Placemaking Toolkit

Creative Placemaking Toolkit

In addition to giving a thorough overview of creative placemaking, this toolkit compiled by NEA and LISC offers resources for asset mapping and guidelines for evaluating impacts of creative placemaking projects.

Downtown streetscape along sides with wooded hillside in background

Business Retention & Expansion

Business Retention
& Expansion

The Business Retention & Expansion Program provides a better understanding of the local business climate through in-depth surveys of business owners.

Where Your Sidewalk Begins

Where Your Sidewalk Begins

Where Your Sidewalk Begins

This activity encourages residents to consider their neighborhood and what elements make them feel safe or welcome.

First Impressions

First Impressions

First Impressions

The First Impressions Program will help your community learn about its strengths and shortcomings through the eyes of first-time visitors.

SPOTLIGHT: Mariposa County Creative Placemaking Strategy

SPOTLIGHT: Mariposa County Creative Placemaking Strategy

SPOTLIGHT: Mariposa County Creative Placemaking Strategy

Following devastating wildfires, this California community developed a coordinated and strategic approach to measuring assets as well as conceptualizing, investing in, and managing creative placemaking projects in the county.

SPOTLIGHT:  Missouri Passport to the Arts

SPOTLIGHT: Missouri Passport to the Arts

SPOTLIGHT: Missouri Passport to the Arts

University of Missouri Extension’s “Passport to the Arts” connects local stakeholders in order to build and strengthen creative community and economic development by identifying local arts assets and needs; developing a plan to act on their top priorities; and making lasting change to transform communities through arts-based strategies

SPOTLIGHT: Wisconsin Placemaking Tool

SPOTLIGHT: Wisconsin Placemaking Tool

SPOTLIGHT: Wisconsin Placemaking Tool

Wisconsin planning officials partnered to assess the needs of their communities and distributed placemaking tools to encourage regional offerings.

SPOTLIGHT: Barrett’s Biological Surveys Environmental Assessments

SPOTLIGHT: Barrett’s Biological Surveys Environmental Assessments

As wildlife biologists, Barrett’s Biological Surveys perform a variety of environmental assessments to assist companies and communities with reclamation and sustainable building projects in California.

Mad River Valley Economic Study

SPOTLIGHT: Mad River Valley Economic Study

SPOTLIGHT: Mad River Valley Economic Study

In 2014, Mad River Valley Development District in Vermont conducted an economic study that led to the Economic Vitality Workshop Series, designed to create an inclusive discussion surrounding the MRV’s economic development barriers and opportunities.

Villa Rica Strategic Plan

SPOTLIGHT: Villa Rica Strategic Vision and Plan (RSVP)

SPOTLIGHT: Villa Rica Strategic Vision and Plan (RSVP)

In 2016 in Villa Rica, Georgia, partner organizations came together to create a strategic vision, plan, and short-term work program to guide future growth while ensuring that the city retains the small-town atmosphere and intense community pride that make Villa Rica a great place to call home.

SPOTLIGHT: Revitalize or Die Community Assessments

SPOTLIGHT: “Revitalize or Die” Civic Pride workshops and assessments

As a civic pride consultant, Jeff assists community efforts in shifting the trajectory of towns. His sessions and assessments empower communities to build a home they can be proud of.

  • Technical Assistance Directory

    Technical Assistance Provider Directory

    Find a provider to assist with your community assessment or integrate your placemaking project to community needs.

  • Financial Assistance Directory

    Financial Assistance Directory

    Financial assistance providers can be a terrific asset for your community and projects. Connect with one in your area.

  • Share Your Project, Resource or Spotlight

    Share Your Project, Resource or Spotlight

    Share your community’s success using assessments to further your placemaking goals by submitting here.