Urban Omnibus: Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts
Fourth Arts Block (FAB) Festival and Block Party, photo: Whitney Browne
by Urban Omnibus, Nov 7, 2010
“A few months back, Interboro introduced us to the concept of the NORC, or naturally occurring retirement community. This got us wondering, what other kinds of uses tend to cluster, all on their own, in certain areas? Below, Tamara Greenfield, executive director of Fourth Arts Block (FAB), and Caron Atlas, a cultural organizer with the Arts + Community Change Initiative, share their thoughts with Cassim Shepard on how better understanding of Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts, or NOCDs, can help inform a more holistic approach to cultural policy.”
You can also find neighborhood profiles that exemplify the concept of NOCDs in Fort Greene, Brooklyn; Hunts Point in the Bronx; St. George, Staten Island; and Corona, Queens.