City of Burlington Cultural Action Plan

Project Description:

Cobalt Connects worked collaboratively with the City of Burlington to apply for funding to renew its Cultural Plan through the Ontario Creative Community Prosperity Fund. With funding confirmed, the team launched a robust and creative process to craft a new plan.

The project was led by a team of City staff, cultural organization leads and Cobalt Connects. Following the provincial framework for culture, the group engaged in comparative community research across Canada, launched a cultural data portal to gather resident and local artist/organizational data, and conducted an extensive public engagement process which brought over 2000 residents into the process. Additionally, it connected the process with local business leaders to better understand their interests in supporting local cultural development.

The result was a cultural plan that addressed municipal funding and policy, created the City’s first online cultural map, and established a 10-year vision for cultural investment and engagement for the partners to follow.

Now 10 years on from the formation of this plan, Burlington boasts a strong public art program, local granting for artists and organizations, community-led neighbourhood project funding, a growing cultural community, and is regularly rated a top community to live in in Canada.

Client: City of Burlington

Collaborators: City staff, Kitestring Design, dozens of cultural organizations, thousands of residents

Website: https://www.burlington.ca/en/live-and-play/Arts-and-Culture.asp

City: Burlington, ON

Date: 2013