Getting 'Creative' To Protect Artists' Spaces

"Artists, those hardy urban pioneers, settle in areas where no one else wants to live or work, in exchange for cheap rent and square footage. After they clean it up and the neighborhood becomes hip and attractive, the rest of us move in. Then soaring real estate prices squeeze artists out."

"So it's no wonder that artists who have set up their studios in the warehouse complexes along Murphy Avenue in West End are feeling a bit anxious. The prospects of the Atlanta Beltline and improvements to the Peachtree corridor in that part of town have got real estate brokers and developers checking out the industrial area."

"Acknowledging that artists and culture are integral to successful communities, city governments across the country are figuring out ways to protect them and encourage more. The city of Portland, Ore., amended its housing regulations to enable artists to live, work and sell under one roof. Toledo, Ohio, has just put in place tax-abatement incentives for developers who lease space to artists and nonprofits. Among Boston's efforts are affordable-housing set-asides for artists in public-private projects and zoning to allow live/work spaces in industrial, commercial and residential districts."

Atlanta's planning director commissioned an artist/consultant to put together "a menu of options for the city to consider" to support the creative community, including "tax incentives, live-work regulations and affordable housing."