Cities throughout the world currently are exploring ways that arts and culture
can serve as an economic engine, build name recognition and become a source of civic
pride through a mix of policy, branding, and economic development. I examine the
relationship between cultural policy and the increased presence of arts and culture on
the economic development agenda in Toronto and New York during the decade of the
2000s. I hypothesize that New York is more driven by economic motivations, and that
Toronto’s interest lies in the brand building aspect of arts and culture in city building.
This dissertation is a comparative case study that investigates the increased
presence of arts and culture in the economic development toolkits of Toronto and New
York over the decade. Archival and historical data, in addition to interviews with elite
actors provide a rich cache with which to answer the thesis question. Through the use of
agenda setting theory, I find ways that arts and culture have been integrated into policymaking
and urban planning for economic development in each city. I observe that
Toronto and New York are building and facilitating cultural districts, attracting and
retaining creative workers, and articulating economic arguments for arts and culture in
order to generate revenues and secure government and private support.
Each city underwent a shock during the early part of the decade. For Toronto, it
was the endogenous shock of amalgamation, and for New York the exogenous shock of
9/11. In both cities, arts and culture were employed as a part of the economic
development toolkit to revitalize decaying areas, attract residents and tourists, and
distinguish themselves from other cities. I find that each urban center used arts and
culture extensively to create a cultural city in the case of Toronto, and to recreate a
cultural city in the case of New York. Policy recommendations include utilizing
research and strategic planning, building relationships and stakeholder partnerships
across policy domains and sectors, and focusing both on public good and economic
benefit when integrating arts and culture into economic development interventions