Cultural Mapping
The Town of East Gwillimbury is launching a Cultural Mapping Project to provide the Town, its partners and the broader community with an understanding of the rich diversity of our community’s cultural resources and serve as a tool to support economic and broader community development objectives. Findings from the Cultural Mapping Project will support an Economic Development Strategy for the Town currently underway, and a future Cultural Plan to be initiated in the Fall of 2011.
What is Cultural Mapping?
Cultural mapping is a process to identify and document the cultural resources or assets of a community. Cultural mapping embraces a broad definition of cultural resources that includes a wide range of tangible assets but also those important intangible assets such as important stories and traditions that help define our community’s unique identity and sense of place. The diagram below illustrates the range of cultural resources to be addressed by the Cultural Mapping Project.. The CRF is not rigid and is interpreted differently in each community but does provide a consistent point of reference for communities across Ontario undertaking cultural mapping.
The benefits of cultural mapping include the following:
- Increases awareness of cultural resources for residents and tourists
- Strengthens information to inform planning and economic development decisions
- Helps build networks and collaboration across a wide range of cultural groups and activities.
Further Information on cultural mapping and cultural planning can be found at the following links.
Additional articles and videos on cultural mapping and municipal cultural planning can be found on the AuthentiCity website http://mappingauthenticity.com - Go to: Our Work > Resources