Six months ago, I stepped into my role as Vice President for Arts at Knight Foundation. Since then, I’ve met with artists, cultural leaders and civic partners in many of our Knight communities. In each place, the message is clear: the arts are not a luxury, they are essential to the economic and civic vitality of our cities.

After two decades working across the arts, in the public and nonprofit sectors I can say this with conviction: the cities that prioritize the arts are the cities that thrive.

They’re the ones where neighborhoods are vibrant and walkable, where diverse histories are honored and where public spaces pulse with creativity and care. These cities don’t treat the arts as a bonus feature, they treat them as infrastructure, as essential to community and economic well-being as roads or schools.

Across the U.S., we’ve seen how investment in arts and culture drives real impact. In 2022 alone, nonprofit arts and culture organizations generated $151.7 billion in economic activity, supported 2.6 million jobs, and delivered more than $29 billion in tax revenue. Cultural workers aren’t just visual artists, performers or filmmakers, they’re educators, small business owners, designers, historians and neighborhood anchors. In city after city, they’re helping to power local economies, reimagine public space and strengthen civic identity.

The arts create spaces where people can gather, question, celebrate, mourn and imagine together. They make room for complexity. They invite belonging. And they help us see each other more fully. In a time of deepening division and social fragmentation, the arts offer one of the few arenas where empathy can still thrive.

Cities that harness their creative communities as engines of inclusion, innovation and civic connection are not just investing in beauty, they’re investing in belonging. They’re building the kinds of cities that people want to live in, work in and contribute to.

I’ve seen it firsthand, in places like Charlotte, where artists are partnering with local leaders to reimagine public life; in Akron, where culture is playing a vital role in downtown revitalization; and in Miami, where where a globally connected arts ecosystem creates opportunities for both emerging and established artists, while drawing visitors from around the world.

When cities place arts and culture at the heart of community development, they unlock pathways to vibrant and sustained growth. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, for every $1 invested in the arts, the economy gains up to $5 in return through job creation, tourism and local spending. Time and time again, cities that place culture at the heart of their revitalization efforts, from Philadelphia to Miami to Detroit, have demonstrated that the arts are not just reflective of transformation, but catalytic in driving it.

So, what can cities do right now to build that future?

First, they can embed the arts in cross-sector planning, ensuring artists and cultural voices are part of the conversation in housing, transit, climate and economic policy.

Second, they can invest in cultural infrastructure as economic infrastructure, recognizing that arts venues, creative hubs and cultural districts generate jobs, foot traffic and neighborhood vitality.

Third, they can support cultural entrepreneurs and community-based creatives, the small business owners, makers and artists who anchor local economies and reflect the soul of the community.

Let’s start treating cultural strategy like the blueprint for civic resilience that it truly is. Arts and culture are not a frill. They are a framework, for connection, for growth and for the cities we want to become.

This op-ed was originally published in The Miami Herald. Read it here.

Kristina Newman-Scott is an interdisciplinary arts and culture leader shaping the future of arts infrastructure, systems change and civic imagination. She currently serves as Vice President for Arts at Knight Foundation, where she leads an expansive arts portfolio, which has invested $485 million since 2005. Previously, she led BRIC in Brooklyn and the Greene Space at New York Public Radio. She serves as the Secretary of the Board for Americans for the Arts and on the boards of the Perez Art Museum, Young Arts and the Brooklyn Arts Council.