Abstract

The aim of a paper is to examine the role of creative placemaking in shaping urban environment. Art and artists have a long history of contributing and changing cities. Nowadays art and cultural activities become the revitalization tools, helping to start and sustain the process of change in the areas in crisis. The process of creative placemaking brings art to people and people to art, enhancing creativity in lives to transform communities. In creative placemaking, public, private, not-for-profit, and community sectors partner to strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, tribe, city, or region around arts and cultural activities [2]. Methods used in the research are based on multidisciplinary literature studies and detailed case study of the Mural Arts Program of Philadelphia, USA. The Program, that started in 1984 as a summer youth program, grew into one of the largest and most successful public art organization in the USA. Before the revitalization process the city was struggling with poverty, violence and racism. Due to the program more than 3,800 murals and public art projects were created as lasting imprints of transformed space. Mural Arts has engaged thousands of people of all ages from the city, empowered artists to be change agents and established new standards of excellence in the practice of public and contemporary art. The article examines the case and attempts to answer the following questions: - Can creative placemaking help to bulid the vision for an inclusive city?! - How art in urban environment can become a platform of citizens’ agreement?! The findings of the research shows that the Mural Arts in Philadelphia has significantly changed the appearance of the city and what is more important demonstrated how participatory public art can empower individuals.

Author (1)