NYCT's Kerry McCarthy: Trump Cuts that Hit Arts Will Also Hurt Health in NYC Neighborhoods
When cultural funding is cut, communities suffer in unexpected ways.
This is clear to those of us who have seen neighborhood theaters, art galleries and dance studios improve the well-being of young and old. Now, new research by the University of Pennsylvania has analyzed and quantified the positive social impact of New York’s cultural organizations.
The research shows that a concentration of cultural assets in a neighborhood correlates with improved quality of life in low-income areas as well as wealthy ones. Specifically, in neighborhoods like Harlem and Corona, Queens, cultural resources are linked to a 14 percent decrease in cases of child abuse and neglect, a 5 percent decrease in obesity, and an 18 percent decline in the serious crime rate...