How to Build a Creative Ecology

Each year, close to three million dogs and cats are killed in shelters - in some cities more than 70 percent of the animals in shelters are euthanized. Target Zero is a program that works with fellow cities to spay and neuter animals and return them to the streets. Public complaints about animals have plummeted, and many shelters are well on their way to achieving a 'zero-kill' status.

Artists need cheap living costs, but their presence improves a community and the property values. The State of Colorado and private developers are creating affordable housing and work spaces for artists in neighborhoods they want to thrive.

In 2013, Detroit filed for bankruptcy because of a poor economy. While the city’s industrial businesses have floundered, the art scene has thrived, bringing in new sources of income through art galleries and investments in contemporary art. This new art scene is one factor to measure Detroit’s recovery and prospects of growth for the future.

The Live6 area is home to a robust cultural and creative community. And with an increase in development, there's opportunity for artists and institutions to tap into that energy to spur growth.

Turin used to be a bustling hub for the automobile industry but since then it has been left as a dead industrial area. The Ex-incet development aims to change this by using an old company's headquarters to be the site where innovation and creativity can be brought together as people from different sectors work under the same roof.

An ad-hoc community that sprung up around a former military bunker in what is now Taipei was initially seen by the city government as a blight, with irregular buildings that violated structural codes and its self-contained disposal system that looked unsightly. But when Finnish architect Marco Casagrande examined the area, he discovered that its residents had created a truly revolutionary community more eco-friendly than the surrounding city; so "Treasure Hill" was transformed into an artist community that serves as a model for sustainable urbanism.

By mapping links onto satellite imagery, Radio Garden provides an easy way to listen to the online broadcasts of radio stations around the world. Through these broadcasts, a listener can expand their cultural awareness in a direct, entertaining way that reinforces common humanity while retaining distinct individuality.

An Oakland nonprofit that uses art for therapy has a startling track record for helping developmentally disabled adults become prolific—and profitable—artists.

Eau Claire, Wisconsin, once a booming Midwestern industrial town, began to struggle after manufacturing plants closed, leading to job loss and blight downtown. However, recent years have shown urban renewal, and it is clear that arts saved the city. The proposed Confluence Arts Center has already led to $120 million in investment in the heart of Eau Claire’s downtown. Economic growth, further enhanced by the Eaux Claires Music Festival each year, has put the city on a path to revitalization.

Arts education programs in the United States are subjected to cutting for maintaining tight school budgets. Technology sectors in Seattle seek professionals who have been trained in problem solving skills and innovative idea generation. In response, Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture collaborate to promote equity in students’ access to the arts.