‘Creative City’: San Diego Asks Residents for Feedback on Plan to Center Arts, Culture

San Diego is seeking public input on its draft cultural plan, a strategic framework for advancing arts, culture and creativity in the city over the next 10 years.

The plan, titled Creative City, has gone through nearly two years of public engagement to help city leaders understand San Diego’s cultural and artistic needs and interests.

“Creative City is designed to ensure that arts and culture are not just accessible but woven into the fabric of every neighborhood in San Diego,” Mayor Todd Gloria said. “This is more than just a plan — it’s a vision for how arts and culture can uplift and connect all of our communities.”

“I encourage every San Diegan to share their feedback and help us shape a vibrant and inclusive creative future for our city,” he said.

The draft plan details strategies to boost San Diego’s “creative ecosystems,” and aligns arts and culture with the city’s priorities as identified in the overall Strategic Plan.

“Aspirations and insights provided by creatives and artists from visual and performing arts, film and media, cross-sector businesses and organizations, and San Diego residents from every council district helped shape the draft plan,” said Jonathon Glus, the city’s executive director of arts and culture. “We want to ensure we have included the essential needs, so we’re inviting the public to review the draft and provide additional comment on the findings and recommendations proposed to support and strengthen a future with culture and creativity at the center of San Diego’s collective well-being and livelihood.”

San Diegans are encouraged to review the draft plan at sandiego.gov/creative-city/get-involved, and provide feedback by Oct. 12, 2024. Residents can also attend the Creative City Open House at the Comic-Con Museum on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 9 a.m. to noon to learn about the cultural planning process and discuss the draft recommendations.

According to Gloria’s office, public feedback on the plan will inform the final draft, which will be presented to the full City Council for deliberation and adoption in early 2025.

City News Service contributed to this article.