Port Moody - City of the Arts? Culture as the catalyst for regeneration in Inlet Centre

In recent years, the popularity of cultural planning in Canada has soared. Proponents emphasize that cultural planning strategies lead to a variety of economic, social and cultural benefits and stress the importance of utilizing an integrated and cultural approach to urban planning. However, despite the growth of cultural planning since the 1980s, there has been little research dealing specifically with implementation and outcomes. This Research Project investigates the implementation and outcomes of cultural planning in the Inlet Centre neighbourhood of Port Moody, British Columbia, which has been oft cited as an example of a highly successful neighbourhood and town centre, and which the City has designated as a cultural precinct. The research seeks to determine whether or not there is a relationship between Port Moody’s cultural planning efforts and Inlet Centre’s success. In the first phase of analysis, Port Moody’s plans and strategies are analysed in relation to cultural planning concepts and theory. In the second phase, a range of data including City documents, Census data, websites and key informant interviews specific to Inlet Centre are analysed in relation to a set of culturally relevant characteristics. In the third phase, information pertaining to the development review process for two Inlet Centre land developments is analysed in order to determine whether or not a cultural lens has been utilized through the implementation and development of Inlet Centre. The findings indicate that while Port Moody has succeeded in achieving progress toward its economic, social and cultural goals, it has not succeeded in moving toward a more integrated and cultural approach to urban planning.