Art Museums and Neighborhood Development: Historical Evidence from the Case of the Portland Art Museum and the South Park Blocks in Portland, Oregon

Abstract

This article investigates when and how art museums might be engaged to benefit neighborhood development. To address this, the article presents research analyzing physical neighborhood and land use change in the Portland Art Museum and the South Park Blocks neighborhood in Oregon between 1932 and the 2010s. The analysis suggests that the art museum benefited neighborhood development in response to planning interventions that promoted a livability agenda. Alongside measures to prevent gentrification, planners and policy makers can activate art museums to create more livable neighborhoods.