Art-Making or Place-Making? The Relationship between Open-Air Performance Venues and Neighborhood Change

Abstract

This study assesses the impact of a particular type of arts planning investment—an open-air performance venue—on a set of indicators measuring neighborhood change. Using data from the 1990 and 2000 Decennial Censuses and the 2008–2012 American Community Survey, the study analyzes relationships between the presence of an open-air performance venue and indicators of neighborhood change through a propensity score matching and a difference-in-differences model. The results show that, overall, neighborhoods with open-air performance venues are associated with expansion or growth, and less so with changes in resident composition.