New survey, toolkit and events anticipated to boost public participation
SAN DIEGO – This month, the City of San Diego will host a new series of public engagement events and share tools that San Diegans can use to provide input for developing the first-ever cultural plan, Creative City. The seven to 10-year cultural plan aims to align arts and culture citywide with key priority areas, including housing, mobility, infrastructure, sustainability and regional prosperity.
“The Creative City cultural plan will guide the city’s investments in arts and cultural sectors and strategically position the city and transborder region as an equitable place of inspiration and prosperity,” said Jonathan Glus, Executive Director for Arts and Culture. “We were pleased to see many residents participate in the first round of engagement and anticipate more participation from all communities throughout San Diego.”
The cultural plan development process involves listening through a robust public engagement process, gathering and analyzing data to inform a future with culture and creativity at the center of San Diego’s collective well-being and livelihood.
To hear directly from residents, the city will host a virtual Creative City Forum on Monday, July 24, from 5:30-7 p.m., where San Diegans can learn about the cultural planning process, participate in interactive activities and weigh in on the city’s creative future.
San Diegans can also stop by in-person pop-up events to learn more about the planning process, share insights on what they want for the future of arts and culture in their neighborhoods and surrounding communities, enjoy refreshments and participate in a unique hands-on art-making experience. This month, pop-up events will be held at six locations on four different days:
- Tuesday, July 25, 2023
5:30-7 p.m. at San Ysidro Library
The event will be in Spanish; English interpretation is available.
- Wednesday, July 26, 2023
- A) 5:30-7 p.m. at Bread & Salt
Spanish and Tagalog interpretations are available.
- B) 5:30-7 p.m. at Mira Mesa Recreation Center
Mandarin, Vietnamese and Tagalog interpretations are available.
- Thursday, July 27, 2023
5:30-7 p.m. at WorldBeat Cultural Center
Spanish interpretation is available.
- Saturday, July 29, 2023
- A) 10-11:30 a.m. at Rancho Peñasquitos Library
- B) 2-3:30 p.m. Valencia Park/Malcolm X Library
Spanish and Tagalog interpretations are available.
Other language interpretation is available upon request in advance. To help the city’s cultural planning project team gather additional public input, they are also asking residents to fill out the online survey.
San Diegans are also encouraged to host community conversations with friends, family, colleagues, neighbors and other groups about the future of arts and culture with toolkits available on the city’s website (https://www.sandiego.gov/creative-city/get-involved). The toolkit is available in multiple languages. After their conversations, participants are encouraged to email their responses and notes to the cultural planning team as outlined in the toolkit.
The final Creative City cultural plan will be completed by March 2025. To learn more, visit sdcreativecity.com.
(City of San Diego Release) n
