Following two years of listening and connecting with San Diegans, the City of San Diego this week adopted its first comprehensive cultural plan, Creative City, to guide investments in arts, culture and creativity over the next 10 years.  

The San Diego City Council voted to adopt Creative City, which was developed through extensive and inclusive public engagement with nearly 1,800 participants citywide. The plan outlines a shared vision, goals, strategies and actions to sustain and enhance San Diego’s cultural and creative ecosystems. While centered on San Diego, it also includes cultural policy recommendations that will benefit the larger transborder region, ultimately positioning San Diego as a global creative hub. 

“Creative City is a groundbreaking roadmap that integrates arts, culture and creativity into San Diego’s growth and resilience,” said Department of Cultural Affairs Director Jonathon Glus. “By aligning with the City’s Strategic Plan, the intent is to ensure that every resident has equal access to cultural opportunities — driving equity, innovation and economic growth. This plan is an investment in our future, using creativity to address challenges and sustain our vibrant cultural economy. It’s about more than just art — it’s about community, pride and opportunity for all San Diegans.” 

Creative City aligns with the City’s Strategic Plan, and elevates the creative sector within City priorities, tackling issues like accessible and affordable housing. Additionally, it outlines strategies for leveraging the unique power of arts and culture to address cultural cohesion and community identity, and to revitalize public facilities and commercial spaces for cultural activation.   

By implementing Creative City, San Diego aims to realize a future centered around creativity, fostering a more equitable environment of inspiration and prosperity for all San Diegans.

"Keeping artists and creatives in San Diego and fostering a sustainable environment where they can work is a key goal of Creative City," said Christine E. Jones, Chief of Civic Art Strategies for the Department of Cultural Affairs. "Our commitment to collective action to implement innovative solutions for critical challenges facing the cultural and creative sectors, such as the rising costs of living and doing business, the lack of affordable spaces, and ongoing inequities in access to resources, is essential for thriving creative communities in our city." 

The plan outlines four main goals, each with specific strategies and actions: 

·        Centering Artists, Creatives and Spaces: Support artists and cultural organizations through affordable spaces, expanded funding and capacity building. 

·        Arts in Community: Increase access to arts and culture throughout the city, focusing on historically less-resourced areas.

·        Creative Entrepreneurship: Foster creative economy growth through business support, workforce development and industry partnerships. 

·        Global Creative City: Elevate San Diego’s profile as an international hub for arts, culture and creativity. 

Creative City details 29 strategies bolstered by more than 150 actionable steps, some of which will be implemented by partner agencies and through collaborative agreements with service providers and other organizations. 

"The cultural planning process for Creative City is a testament to the aspirations and contributions of San Diegans, who spent time thinking, reading, talking and sharing to better our collective future in San Diego,” said Commission for Arts and Culture Chair Ann Bossler. “We must further come together as a community to get involved and be part of San Diego’s creative future.” 

The complete plan and additional information are available at sdcreativecity.com. An executive summary is also available in eight languages.

The City of San Diego is committed to advancing and driving an equitable and inclusive creative economy and cultural ecosystem by investing in the work of artists, creatives and the institutions and systems that amplify creative work and experiences. For more information, visit sandiego.gov/cultural-affairs.