Building cities that truly respond to the needs of their people while sustaining economic growth is one of the greatest challenges facing our region today. As a structural engineer and creative industries consultant, I was invited to speak at Carifesta’s recent Big Conversations series, “Graffiti Landscapes: Cities of Culture”, to envision the future of Caribbean cities. During the panel discussion with Deborah Hickling Gordon from Jamaica, Deborah Austin-Thomas from Trinidad, and Israel Mapp from Barbados, a clear path emerged — one where culture is not an afterthought, but the very foundation of development.

Creative placemaking begins with the authentic identity and history of an area. From there a shared vision is built with the community that lives and works in the space. Finally, art, infrastructure and cultural events are introduced to bring the vision to life. This can transform a nondescript or neglected area into a place that attracts people, fosters business and stimulates the creative economy, while preserving intangible culture and built heritage. When executed well, city development centred around arts and culture strengthens social cohesion, nurtures a sense of identity and enhances safety. This is the promise of creative placemaking, a simple but powerful tool for urban development, offering a way to weave culture, creativity and innovation into the physical and social fabric of our cities.

Global perspective

Recent research by the Global Cultural Districts Network highlights how intentional investments in cultural infrastructure, arts programming and the design of public spaces generates far more than aesthetic value — but also measurable social and economic impact for cities. By embedding creative practice in city-making, countries can regenerate cities, cultivate a renewed sense of identity and belonging while attracting tourism, driving entrepreneurship and increasing safety and long-term investment in neglected areas.

As a member of the GCDN, Kingston Creative’s approach to cultural district development diverges significantly from the Global North, where art districts are usually developed through a top-down, government-led approach. This difference is not necessarily a disadvantage; in fact, it reflects the unique context of our islands. Cultural districts in Europe can build upon strong existing public arts infrastructure of museums, theatres and large entertainment venues, while many Caribbean cities lack these key elements. To make matters worse, we must simultaneously contend with informal economies, high crime, vulnerability to climate change and external shocks, lack of data to make investment decisions and overall underinvestment in the creative industries sector. Despite the obstacle, the very benefits that creative districts yield are sorely needed in culture-rich Caribbean cities, so it is imperative to find a way to adapt the model to our environment.

Smart cities: a cautionary tale

The global discourse on creative placemaking has long been dominated by models originating in the Global North. Arts districts, in New York, Berlin or London are often lauded and exported wholesale to cities in the Global South with the assumption that they represent universal solutions. These paradigms do not often translate effectively into Caribbean contexts, where legacies of colonialism, underdevelopment and vastly distinct socioeconomic realities demand more nuanced, localised strategies.

One example, and a cautionary tale in future city design, is the concept of the “smart city”. In the early 2000s, smart cities were heralded as the ultimate high-tech solution to all urban challenges, with data, technology and connectivity promising to optimise every aspect of city life. However, the hype outstripped results and many cities such as Plan IT Valley in Portugal, Masdar in the United Arab Emirates and Songdo, South Korea, have failed and remain sparsely populated. The reasons attributed to the failures are many, such as high living costs, which pushed away potential residents, and a lack of cultural attractions and social design that made the city unappealing. A “top-down” approach to planning was employed, ignoring the need for organic growth and citizen input that happens naturally in cities. Many smart city projects became overly dependent on costly technology, serving corporate interests rather than community needs and as a result have been scrapped.

The model of art districts

We believe that developing cities around culture is an appropriate way forward for the Caribbean because culture is what drives us. Whether it be Carnival, Crop Over, Jonkonnu, dancehall, reggae, Zouk or soca, festivals, celebrations, art and music are the heartbeat of our people. Designing a Caribbean city’s development around culture and the creative communities that produce cultural expressions is a bottom-up, relatively affordable approach that makes good sense for us as small-island developing states seeking to revitalise and grow our cities.

Globally, art districts are being positioned as the next big thing in city regeneration, but they are not without risk. All too often, cities have used art to gentrify, with the result that cultural districts went through a predictable cycle of “boom and bust”, as cities invested heavily in expensive anchor museums and capital-intensive “Starchitect” projects. Many city planners catered to developers and private interests, and overlooked sustainability, inclusion and equitable development. They even encouraged the displacement of communities that give these districts their original vitality. Cultural districts in the Caribbean must avoid the well-documented traps of gentrification and find ways to centre the artists and communities even as the districts grow and develop.

Downtown Kingston, Jamaica provides a compelling case study of how creative placemaking can be reimagined for Caribbean cities, led by artists and non-state actors. Through the development of murals, public art and cultural programming, what was once considered a neglected and unsafe area has become a busy cultural district that attracts both locals and tourists, and is a de facto site for creative content — film, photography, videos and festivals.

Support of the artists is essential, and Kingston Creative developed 118 murals, hosted more than 50 festivals, provided travel grants, employment and income-earning opportunities to hundreds of artists, musicians and dancers. A digital Kulcha App was created for navigation of cultural points of interest and e-commerce, and invested in training thousands of creatives and providing grants and seed capital. Benches, plants, shade, signage and art parks were installed. As a result, the organisation won World’s Best Creative Destination (2023), the Expedia Award for Sustainability (2023) and Best Attraction 2024.

Looking farther afield, centring culture addresses social challenges as shown in the examples below:

• In Bogotá, Colombia, under mayor Antanas Mockus, a combination of public art, theatre and creative civic campaigns led to a dramatic decline in homicide rates, and the return of thousands of guns in high-crime neighbourhoods

• In Los Angeles, arts-led urban revitalisation in downtown districts helped transform formerly high-crime areas into creative hubs — attracting businesses, foot traffic and cultural tourism

• In Chicago, community mural projects with at-risk youth led to improved school attendance and reduced behavioural issues

• In Philadelphia, the Mural Arts Programme found that neighbourhoods with murals experienced a decrease in violent crime and property damage — particularly when paired with community engagement

In Kingston, the arts district involves many stakeholders, and engages around the themes of identity, governance, public safety, infrastructure and community development. It has spread to Black River and is heading to Montego Bay. The model demonstrates how small, artist-led actions can catalyse broader regeneration by instilling pride, engaging communities, reclaiming public space, and encouraging private sector and government investment.

With all the talk about artificial intelligence, the temptation to centre technology is strong. But while it is true that AI will affect how work is produced — how urban spaces are managed and how citizens engage with culture — cultural district design will have to adapt to the new paradigm. As AI advances, a vibrant art district will position our island towns and cities as places where people can experience culture authentically and make “in real life” connections. In a future world that — because of the laws of supply and demand — is likely to value human experiences and connection at a premium, this could be a niche worth exploiting.

Attaining sustainable development

Linking creative placemaking to the broader creative economy and sustainable development agenda is crucial. Culture is not an add-on or a luxury; it is a powerful driver of economic diversification, job creation and social cohesion. For the Caribbean, a region especially vulnerable to climate change and global economic shocks, embedding cultural industries into development policy represents a path towards resilience. The creative economy, supported by localised placemaking initiatives, has the potential to anchor sustainable and inclusive growth – the goal of most Caribbean nations.

When development is measured only through the lens of GDP growth, cultural vitality and social cohesion may suffer. But when creativity, inclusivity and cultural identity of the people are fostered and centred in development, economic benefits will follow. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design is a methodology that can be layered on to creative placemaking to have even more impact on crime reduction. Development should not be seen as linear, but as relational — connecting people, culture and place.

While creative placemaking is not a silver bullet, it is a low-cost, high-impact strategy that — when combined with community participation and social programmes — can meaningfully contribute to reducing crime, enhancing safety, strengthening social cohesion and driving urban regeneration. Creative placemaking in the Caribbean is not simply about beautification; it is about reimagining sustainable development itself.

• Andrea Dempster-Chung is the cofounder and executive director of Kingston Creative