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For planners, historians, public and community art professionals, and other academics and practitioners interested in the roles of the arts in urban planning, we are putting together a panel proposal on past and present uses of the arts in urban planning and development for the 11th Biennial Conference on Planning History organized by the Society for American City and Regional Planning History (SACRPH). Our current research grows out of an observation that city planners, community organizations, and real estate developers increasingly look to "the arts" as an urban development tool. They attempt to harness the energy of art, artists, and arts institutions for goals ranging from neighborhood revitalization to gentrification to large-scale downtown renewal. Yet planners and developers often view the arts uncritically, as a positive engine or amenity for all manner of planning and development goals. In order for arts-based planning and development to be successful, contextually appropriate, and sustainable, urbanists require a more sophisticated understanding of the social, economic, and ecological roles of the arts in shaping cities and urban life. Our current research project takes the form of a case study exploring the diverse and often conflicting (or conflicted) roles of the arts in Philadelphia across two centuries, charting the ways in which public and private actors have employed the arts in attempts to shape and reshape the city's social, economic, and physical environments. Our research questions include: What roles have arts institutions played in the broader life of communities, the city and region? How have Philadelphians used the arts to reshape their physical and social environments? How have Philadelphians employed the arts to advance their economic interests? How have Philadelphians used the arts to influence images and conceptions of the city and its neighborhoods? We seek scholars and practitioners working on the arts in planning and development in other regions in the U.S. and around the world. We hope to organize a comparative panel that expands this discussion beyond the scope of our work on Philadelphia. The conference will take place at the Omni Colonnade Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, October 20-23, 2005. The deadline for paper/panel proposals is February 15, 2005, though we would ideally like to hear from interested panelists by January 15. For more information on the conference and the call for papers, see: http://www.urban.uiuc.edu/sacrph/conference/conference.html Susan C. Seifert Director, Social Impact of the Arts Project University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work www.ssw.upenn.edu/SIAP Domenic Vitiello, MCP, PhD Urban Studies Program, University of Pennsylvania vitiello@history.upenn.edu
 Humanities & Social Sciences Online 
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