2050 City is a small consultancy developing strategic frameworks to optimize and future-proof the urban visitor economy.

5 Guiding Principles

  1. A city is more than a place in space. It is a drama in time.

  2. How we interpret place defines our identity.

  3. Culture is nothing more than a human response to place.

  4. The city of the future is an interdisciplinary knowledge sharing machine.

  5. People find community in action.

The Creative Community Action Plan

Challenge
Cities are facing increasing challenges related to urban vibrancy due to many factors, ranging from national retailers pulling out of downtowns in past decades to remote work more recently. Cities need more people — both residents and visitors — patronizing more businesses, attending more events, and contributing further to the social and economic fabric of their communities.

Insight
Many cities are experiencing success capitalizing on their creative sector to catalyze small business development, which leads to attracting further investments across all sectors. Every city has fiercely independent entrepreneurs and creators who are committed to enhancing local quality of place. They are forging opportunity for residents across 10 pillars in arts, music, film & media, food & beverage, events, entertainment, retail, nightlife, architecture & urban design, and technology & education. They’re building their cities one block at a time to define their community’s meaning, purpose and identity at a hyperlocal level.

Solution
Developed by 2050 City & Creative Tourism, the Creative Community Action Plan increases urban vibrancy by optimizing the aggregate creative energy in communities. Our strategic process consists of:

  1. Community Vibe Index©: A 15-minute resident survey to assess the strength, energy and quality of 10 pillars related to the creative economy.

  2. Community Engagement: We meet with the most influential residents and strident community advocates in those 10 creative pillars to identify key opportunities, challenges and recommended action items for each.

  3. Strategic Framework: We co-develop with community leaders a strategic plan with overarching goals, actionable initiatives, and proven implementation steps to increase urban vibrancy. Implementation strategy is key. A plan is only as good as the execution behind it.

We are presently collaborating with the Near Southside community in Fort Worth, TX to develop a new action plan.

Near Southside personifies intentional community development where people “live like they mean it.” As work progresses, we’ll update here.