Master Planning for the Arts: Identifying the Skills and Roles for Landscape Architects

An arts master plan ?s a tool to create a commun?ty that embraces the local arts as a un?que and v?tal resorce wh?ch shapes and reflects the c?ty’s cultural ?dent?ty, wh?le leverag?ng the arts as a key component for an overall econom?c development strategy. This research exam?nes the suitability of landscape arch?tects to lead the des?gn and development of arts master plans for commun?t?es by assessing current arts master plan practices in major US metropolitan areas. It first identifies the needs of the arts master planning process through systemat?c documentat?on of expert op?n?ons, then compares them to the scope of master plann?ng for the arts. This scholarly inquiry not only searches for prerequ?s?tes and profess?onal apt?tudes needed to successfully complete a commun?ty art’s master plan and assess the role of landscape arch?tects but also positions landscape architecture and arts master planning within the broader context of planning process of large cities in the US.