Emily Badger explains how a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization is working to break the cycle of gentrification within artist communities by helping to create and preserve affordable space for artists and arts organizations.
Artists have long suffered from the "Soho effect", a title Badger says applies to artist communities who revitalize undesirable parts of cities and are then displaced once the area begins to grow and prices rise. As cities increasingly embrace revitalization through "creative placemaking", which aims to build communities around arts and cultural activities, the threat of the Soho effect becomes more widespread.
"It was insulting for people to sometimes say, ‘Oh, artists like to move, they're bohemians!' Who likes to be on the street and renegotiate a lease and carry all their equipment and try to create a new community and basically start all over?" states Kelley Lindquist, president of the non-profit group Artspace, a nonprofit real estate developer working to supply art communities with live/work spaces. Since its inception in 1979, the organization has "completed 30 live/work developments in 21 U.S. cities, with two more opening this fall, two more under construction, and another dozen in the pipeline."
There's ongoing debate about the strength of the connection between the arts and economic development. But, while "Artspace doesn't prove that artists can power the economy of whole cities," says Badger, it sends a clear message that art-based communities can thrive without becoming victims of their own success.
FULL STORY: The Key To A Thriving Creative Class? Give Artists Their Own Real Estate Developers

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie