Central Square Cambridge – An Official Cultural District

Back in October the Massachusetts Cultural Council Board officially designated Central Square in Cambridge Massachusetts a State Designated Cultural District.  Some applicable excerpts from the official press release are:

A cultural district is a compact, walkable area of a community with a concentration of cultural facilities, activities, and assets. MCC’s Cultural Districts Initiative grew out of an economic stimulus bill passed by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2010. It is designed to help communities attract artists and cultural enterprises, encourage business and job growth, expand tourism, preserve and reuse historic buildings, enhance property values, and foster local cultural development.

Central Square Cultural District, Cambridge

Cambridge’s Central Square Cultural District is home to a mix of small, funky independently-owned shops and creative start-ups, with larger, well-established corporations, all fueled and supported by existing cultural resources such as public art, resident working artists, dynamic cultural organizations, ethnic restaurants, and leading educational institutions like Cambridge College and MIT. Central Square is home to a number of large cultural events, including Cambridge Science Festival, Cambridge River Festival, Central Square World’s Fair and the City Dance Party, together drawing an annual audience to the square in excess of 500,000. Property-owners in the Square are committed to the vision of the District and support attracting new businesses that will maintain a positive balance of size, diversity and industry. The Central Square Cultural District amplifies an authentic, urban neighborhood that is constantly evolving while maintaining a core identity as a unique and eclectic place to live, work and play.

Having worked in Central Square and often walked it’s streets and visited many of businesses and restaurants up and down Mass Ave I am happy to see that Central Square is getting some visibility!  We found a nice video from the Boston Globe that puts a spotlight on Central Square.