Report prepared following a conference in the City of Markham. Concerns ways to “design” new suburban developments into “urban-like” developments.

In the study of urban neighbourhood revitalization, one of the really difficult problems in revitalizing a poor area is that programs that make the area more attractive for investors make it less affordable for residents. This paradox is at the heart of the policy problem in dealing with urban decline and disinvestments.

Downtown revitalization has become a major task for urban and rural development in the U.S. This bibliography includes case studies, journal articles, short publications, books, videocassettes, and slides on downtown revitalization. It also has information on associations, journals and newsletters, funding resources, scholars, and contact people. Although written for the United States, these sources may also be of interest to Canadians.

The Downtown Chilliwack B.I.A. is a non-profit organization that represents over 350 businesses, which provide a diverse range of products and services. The B.I.A. is embarking on an exciting 3-year Downtown Revitalization Plan that will cover a number of projects such as: Heritage Building Facade Program; Community Gateway Signs; Streetscaping, including benches, garbage containers, tree grates, bicycle rack, bollards and chains, curb flares, street lighting, and sidewalk enhancements; and Urban landscaping, including traffic islands and planters.

The city adopted a downtown revitalization program to encourage people to stay in the city rather than moving to the suburbs. They received a grant from A-C-T (Affordability and Choice Today) to conduct a study to determine the financial and technical feasibility of revitalizing one of the downtown districts targeted by the city.

This review examines a broad scope of evidence of different kinds in three aspects of regeneration, economic, social and environmental. It concludes that, while there are many significant gaps, there is a substantial and diverse body of evidence that a wide range of cultural activities positively add value to regeneration initiatives.

Contrary to a widely held view, the current and future health and vitality of Canada’s city regions depends less on policies that simply market cultural consumption for the talent class, and more on policies that lie at the intersection of the talent model and social policy. Local economic development officers have interpreted Florida’s research as a prescription to do only the former. Yet Florida’s results, when considered in light of other social policy and cultural planning literature, underscore the need for cities to make strategic policy investment in policies that also contribute to social inclusion and the celebration of cultural difference.

An initiative operated under the Alberta government's Main Street downtown revitalization programme to implement and revitalize the main street of Fort Macleod.

The cities of the knowledge era need new experts with new tools. A lively debate has sprung up about who these revitalizers are and how they turn fading metropolises into inviting places to live. What has become clear—although researchers haven't quite figured out the alchemy—is that artists and performers play a key role in the process.

"Today we’re going to tackle two questions. First, how do we build and sustain strong institutions that make this city great? And how do we go forward building institutions that will last as long and deliver as many results as the institutions that George Peabody and his friends started? The second question is how Baltimore can leverage its leadership in the cultural arena and its other strengths to a broader economic development strategy that enables it to compete successfully in the 21st century."

The Alberta Main Street Program is working with 14 communities and property owners in Alberta to revitalize the early commercial streetscapes in selected villages, towns and cities. This program for urban revitalization renews community vitality, increases local business, and generates tourism.

$30 million in federal-provincial-municipal funding of an urban revitalization project in Wascana Lake near Regina to build a new multi-purpose community facility at Regina Exhibition Park.

A review of international literature related to arts and culture in regeneration, presented at the World Summit on Arts asnd Culture held in NewcatleGateshead, England, in June 2006.

Study of the contributions that community-based arts organizations are making in Winnipeg ‘s inner city. The researchers find that the arts contribute to building community capacity, energizing community-based revitalization efforts, educating young people, improving our public spaces, and invigorating local economies. Weblink to PDF

Established in 1998, the mission of art City is to create a positive and expanding cultural impact on the unique needs of the urban community by: fostering self-expression in participants, encouraging a sense of ownership, self-respect and pride in their work and community; being a part of the neighbourhood, a place that is safe, comfortable, supportive; being accessible by offering free-of-charge, quality programming with local, national and international professional artists; being sustainable and available to the community day after day, year after year; and being a model for future community art centres.  

The development and maintenance of the Old Port of Montreal lands by putting into place infrastructure, equipment, and services.

In 1988, St-Norbert Guest House and the surrounding land were designated as a heritage site.That same year, the guesthouse and adjacent five acres were purchased from Genstar with a donation from St. Norbert residents William and Shirley Loewen.The St. Norbert Art Centre (SNAC), established in 1994, is dedicated to investigations of cultural expression and to developing the relationship between artists and the diverse communities to provide positive societal growth.

Art centers; Performing arts centers; urban renewal and architecture and planning.

Municipal cultural / recreational facility containing a 550 seat theatre, art gallery, banquet halls, gym, ice arena, indoor soccer field and fitness centre, and all requisite support facilities.

An "international review explores the latest research and opinion about the impact of art and culture on the regeneration of neighborhoods and cities, focusing on three areas of policy interest: iconic buildings and cities of culture; cultural quarters and clusters; and cultural dynamism."

Urban development; Architecture and urban renewal; Urban renewal/United States.

The award-winning first phase is home to a dynamic bohemian community of 500 artists and small creative enterprises. The affordable studio workshops are complemented by a theatre café, antique shops, meeting rooms, dance studios, holistic therapy rooms, art galleries, the achingly stylish Medicine Bar and the electrifying Code nightclub. The second phase, completed in the summer of 2002 comprises a hundred studio/offices with superfast links to the net, a ring of lakeside shops, galleries and restaurants plus the Green Man, a towering 40 ft. sculpture made of earth, fire and water. On the way are a small luxury hotel, live/work apartments, a riverside walk, a new bridge, a perfumed garden for the blind and a 40,000 sq. ft. international design/exhibition centre.

Artscape is a non-profit real estate development organization that focuses on the arts. It acts as landlord, property owner/manager, and budding developer with its financial support coming from the public and private sectors and foundations. It is involved in the transformation of industrial and other buildings into multi-tenant arts spaces, most recently as a partner in the revitalization of Toronto's Distillery District.

401 Richmond is a historic warehouse in downtown Toronto and home to 138 cultural producers and microenterprises. Aware of the need for affordable workspace in the city’s downtown core, the architect/owners who purchased the property in 1994, took an aged building with 40% occupancy, and rather than tarting it up or tearing it down, transformed it into a fully-leased thriving cultural and commercial centre within 18 months.

14-article special section on Architecture and urban renewal and architecture and planning.

One of the techniques that have been used as a tool for urban development in recent years is that of cultural regeneration. This is seen as a means of restoring and improving the quality of urban life through the enhancement and development of the unique characteristics of a place and its people. This article argues that urban design is integral to the process of cultural regeneration; such things as mixed-use developments, environmental improvement schemes and, in particular, public art help in the expression and development of the culture of an area. The article looks at how specific cultural quarters are developed in city centre areas, focusing on an area of Manchester known as the Northern Quarter, and outlines the ways in which urban design techniques are used as part of the process of wider cultural regeneration. It is suggested that, for improved chances of success, the adoption of a holistic approach to urban regeneration is required, with policymakers using culture as an organizing principle for city management and urban design.

The Vancouver Agreement is an Urban Renewal Strategy signed in March 2000 to revitalize the infrastructure, community, and lifestyle of the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

Ace Art Inc. is an artist-run centre dedicated to the development, exhibition, and dissemination of contemporary art by cultural producers. Ace Art Inc. maintains a commitment to emerging artists and recognizes its role in placing contemporary artists in a larger cultural context. Its objectives are to: maintain a physical space for the public where exploration of the ideas and materials of contemporary art are facilitated through exhibition, events, critical writing, and dialogue; support the emergence, development, production and exhibition of contemporary art; provide concrete opportunities for the professional development of artists; facilitate artistic research and development by making available the resources; provide a forum for dialogue and new ideas in contemporary art; and ensure a strong connection with the Winnipeg Arts community. 

Artspace Inc. houses 25 arts organizations including a movie theatre, photo based and mixed media art galleries, two publishing houses, two lending libraries, a live-in studio apartment, film and video distribution systems, studios for video and filmmakers, painters, writers, playwrights, and publishers. Artspace Inc. is a renovated historic building in Winnipeg's Exchange District, designed to provide affordable space to artists and arts groups. Its facilities enable member groups to exchange ideas and information and to give the arts in Manitoba greater visibility and impact.

Contains two distinct monographs on selected strategies applied to rehabilitate inner-city, low-income neighbourhoods and housing stock and to resolve complex issues of ownership and tenure. Analyses and evaluates the cases of the building repair and recreation.