Reinventing Place: Artists, Developers, and the Creation of Boston’s SoWa Arts District

• In Event: 563 - Section on Community and Urban Sociology Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 03. Cultural Events and Activities

Abstract

Urban cultural rebranding, or the instrumental use of arts and culture to reshape the outward appearance of place, remains controversial among sociologists, urban planners, and artist practitioners alike. Often portrayed as a top-down imposition, an accumulation strategy, or a trigger for gentrification and displacement dynamics, place branding has met a chilly reception especially within urban sociology. In this paper, I examine these claims and offer a new perspective on branding, based on a case study of the “SoWa Arts District” in the South End of Boston, MA. By tracing the historical invention, diffusion and internal dynamics of the SoWa brand, I seek to cast new light on social, spatial, and corporate strategies key to branding place. Specifically, I show that branding is more than mottos or slogans, and most meaningful when it is projected via institutionalized practices and regular events that draw in new actors and audiences. These new actors - artists, landlords, developers, policymakers – often have different motivations and goals, yet share a complimentary interest in the maintenance and diffusion of the brand. Place brands reflect uneasy coalitions between actors, and the dynamics of the brands reveal both the changing position of various parties and the risks involved. Indeed, the story of SoWa shows the trade-offs and accommodations made by one of the most “successful” Boston-area arts communities induces a new set of perverse risks that only come about via effective place promotion.

Author

• Matthew E. Kaliner, Harvard University