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Hi Again! You might have heard we've just announced 21 grants for our Mayors' Institute
on City Design 25th anniversary initiative. These grants are gonna fund communities as
diverse as Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Kent, Washington, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
But the one thing these grants all have in common is that they're going to increase the
community's livability. So, what's livability? Well first, here's some background. The Obama
administration is committed to having more federal agencies work together. The Department
of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and EPA have formed one of these partnerships.
And it's all about building more sustainable, livable communities. And so they're basing
all that work on 6 key "livabilityÓ principles. So, in order to go through these 6 key principles
of livability, I need to get all official and I'm going to read these to you. So, Number
1. The first principle of livability isÉProviding more safe, reliable, and economical transportation
choices; Number 2. Promoting energy efficient housing choices for all people, regardless
of income, ethnicity, or any other factors. Numero tres. Making communities economically
competitive both by providing training opportunities for workers and market opportunities for businesses.
Number Four. Revitalizing existing communities through strategies like finding new uses for
old structures or improving transportation systems. Number Five. Leveraging community
investment by making it easier and more desirable for civic, not-for-profit, and for-profit
enterprises to collaborate, and last but not least. Very important. Valuing what is unique
about each and every community, whether it's urban, suburban, or rural. And you can find
a lot more about these definitions of livability on this website that's flashing in front your
screen right now. So why does the NEA care? Well, let's think back to the other video
I just made about 'creative placemaking'Ñthat's all about if you grow the creative economy
of a place it makes a place more livable. It is about not just creating a community
where people can live, work, and play; it is about creating communities where people
will want to live, work, and play. As Secretary Donovan of Housing and Urban
Development has said, and I'm going to quote him directly here, the arts "can play a key
role as a partner that is able to enhance the unique characteristics of communities
and increase our economic competitiveness through supporting creativity and innovation."
In summary, creative placemaking makes a community more liveable. As always, we'd love to hear
back from you guys on our blog. That's www.arts.gov/artworks