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The world is an increasingly interconnected place, busy with mobility and rapid change. Families are relocating, immigrants are settling in, and rural areas and industrial towns are being
transformed through global economic shifts. A sense of community is not something many of us can take for granted any more. Yet across the United States, nonprofit cultural heritage organizations
are helping people to remember and celebrate their shared experiences, traditions, identities, struggles, and aspirations.
Most civic activity leads to a greater sense of community, and that is one reason it is vital to civil society and public life. For cultural heritage organizations, building and sustaining a sense of community is the primary objective. This can happen simply by providing a place for neighbors to meet on the streets and corners they share, as it does at neighborhood fairs. It can happen when an ethnic group gathers to observe an important holiday, or when a city celebrates its diverse music and food traditions, or when immigrants organize to teach their history and values to young people. It happens at county fairs and folklife programs, and in community cultural centers and native
language schools.
Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).
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Disclaimer: The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.
