Cultural Mapping Project

How YOU Can Participate

The success of the project depends on the participation of the community.

Fill out a Community Survey - the survey takes less than 15 minutes to complete. Just click on the link below and follow the easy instructions.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/newmarket_culturalmapping

Attend a Community Forum on February 2, 2012 from 7 to 9 p.m. - The Community Forum will take place in the Newmarket Council Chambers (395 Mulock Drive).

The meeting will be used to report to the community on the initial findings from the mapping project, and to seek additional ideas and input.

What is Cultural Mapping?

Cultural mapping is a process to identify and document the cultural resources or assets of a community. Across the country, more and more municipalities are turning to cultural mapping as an important new tool to support economic development and to enrich the quality of life in communities.

Cultural mapping embraces a broad definition of cultural resources as illustrated in the diagram below. This includes a wide range of tangible resources such as arts and heritage organizations, cultural occupations and industries, cultural and natural heritage - among others. It also explores the areas of intangible cultural assets - the stories, traditions and unique quality of life that shape the town's identity and sense of place. The broad definition of cultural resources illustrated in this diagram is dynamic. It is, however, a starting point for gathering information on our rich and diverse cultural assets in Newmarket.

What Are the Benefits of Cultural Mapping?

Building better information on the cultural resources in the community benefits the town in several ways.

• It strengthens the knowledge and needed to inform a wide range of planning and economic development decisions.
• It helps increase awareness of local culture for residents and tourists.
• It supports stronger networks and collaboration across a wide range of cultural groups and activities.

It is important to note that the project will not produce a comprehensive final mapping of all cultural assets. The work of cultural mapping is never done; there will always be new information and new assets to add. What the cultural mapping project will do is to establish a solid foundation and set of tools to continue cultural mapping efforts over time.

To Learn More About Cultural Mapping

Further information on cultural mapping and cultural planning can be found at the following links:

• Greg Baeker - this video provides a general introduction to cultural mapping. http://mappingauthenticity.com/2010/02/putting-culture-on-the-map
• Gord Hume - former London City Council member Gord Hume talks about the importance of culture and cultural mapping to municipalities and local economies. http://vimeo.com/11848268

Additional articles and videos on cultural mapping and municipal cultural planning can be found on the AuthentiCity website at http://mappingauthenticity.com Go to Our Work > Resources