A theory of change for creative placemaking

Abstract

Patricia Moore Shaffer, Deputy Director of Research and Analysis at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), describes critical work to develop a theory of change and logic model to depict the underpinnings of work supported by the NEA’s Our Town program. In conversation with Maria Rosario Jackson, Shaffer describes the process of developing the theory of change using an evidence-based approach including the review of grantee reports and the integration of insights of Our Town program staff as well as grantees and subject experts. Shaffer discusses the challenges inherent in attempting summative evaluations of creative placemaking including the challenge of making sense of a wide range of types of creative placemaking activity, recognizing that program impacts do not all materialize during the grant or reporting period and reckoning with the fact that data to measure the contributions of creative placemaking impacts are not always immediately available. Shaffer underscores the importance of recognizing creative placemaking impacts in systems of policy and practice, noting that this is an area of impact that can often be overlooked. She discusses how the creative placemaking theory of change process has influenced other work at the NEA and she identifies areas of priority for future research and evaluation.