Leveraging the Economic Potential of Arts, Cultural, and Outdoor Recreation Assets
Is your community leveraging its arts, cultural, and outdoor recreation amenities?
Arts, culture, and outdoor recreation assets don’t just make communities more healthy and desirable places to live, they provide real economic benefits and have the potential to generate big returns on investment. We can help you assess, the cultural and outdoor ecosystem in your community, communicate the value of these assets, and implement plans for leveraging them to create jobs, generate revenue, and make your community a more vibrant place to live and work.
Related Services
Outdoor and Cultural Economy Assessment and Planning
Asset Mapping
Economic Impact Analysis
Design, Branding and Place-based Marketing
Design, Branding and Place-based Marketing
Featured Projects
Arts & Culture Strategic Economic Development Plan
In January 2021, Mayor Vi Lyles created the Charlotte City Council’s ad hoc Arts and Culture Committee to develop a policy for arts and culture as an economic development strategy for Charlotte. The committee was charged with identifying a new investment strategy to support the creative community. Fourth Economy was tasked with inventorying and mapping arts and culture assets cataloging existing economic and community priorities that intersect with arts and culture goals from previous planning efforts; identifying successful strategies from peer cities; evaluating the existing funding landscape for arts and culture within Charlotte-Mecklenburg; and developing recommendations for a sustainable funding and governance model to support the sector over the next decade. Read More
Outdoor Recreation Economic Development Strategy
The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) engaged Fourth Economy to explore opportunities to develop and promote the Pittsburgh region as a hub/gateway for outdoor economy opportunities available within three hours drive time of Pittsburgh. To do this, we profiled leading and peer case study outdoor economy regions, and conducted detailed analysis to identify the potential customers for the region's Outdoor Economy. Based on those two components, we developed scenarios for the future of the regional outdoor economy – what it might look like if particular investments are made, and built recommendations for strategies, policies, and programs to strengthen the local outdoor economy. Read More
Economic Impact Analysis
Fourth Economy is conducting an economic impact study for the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. The trail has become a vital resource for the Pittsburgh region, and a regional and national destination for visitors and tourists wanting to experience the iconic Pittsburgh riverfront. Our impact analysis includes a profile of trail users, impact of trail user spending on tourism and local businesses, tax revenue generated from spending, health impacts from trail usage, and change in property values that are trail adjacent. Read More
Asset Mapping and Economic Development Strategy
York County, Pennsylvania, has an abundance of quality of place assets that contribute to its vibrancy and unique character. However, there are limited resources available to support the arts and culture sector, as well as other quality of place assets like outdoor recreation amenities, on a sustained basis. The Cultural Alliance was interested in assessing and mapping the region's arts, cultural, and outdoor assets and learning more about how other communities across the country have implemented a sustainable public source of funding that can continuously support this important contributor to quality of life of York County. Read More
Get in Touch
Many of our most interesting projects stem from conversations with communities about where they are and where they want to be. Our specialty is in developing strategies that help communities achieve their goals. If you’d like to delve deeper, reach out! We'd love to connect with you.