From the construction of the Bilbao Guggenheim to the support of grassroots artist housing campaigns, urban planners increasingly look to artists and cultural activity as forces of urban regeneration. In New England, the most visible of these redevelopment efforts are so-called arts districts.ﾝ Arts districts seek to promote the revitalization of downtowns or blighted neighborhoods by capitalizing on the development of arts activity and the recruitment of artists. This thesis investigates four such districts (Providence, RI, Pawtucket RI, Worcester MA, and New Bedford MA) in order to answer ways in which artists can be proactively involved in the urban regeneration process. Can arts districts be engineered to be successful?

This thesis investigates four arts districts (Providence, RI, Pawtucket RI, Worcester MA, and New Bedford MA) in order to answer ways in which artists can be proactively involved in the urban regeneration process.