Why Cities Can’t Afford to Cut Art and Culture: A Conference On The Richness of Creative Placemaking
Join Us September 22-24, 2025 For A Transformative Conversation
As cities face deepening funding cuts to the arts, culture, and community programs, the question is no longer why we need creative placemaking—it’s why aren’t we doing more of it, faster?
This September 22–24, 2025, Imagine. Create. Activate! Is launching in Chicago, and it couldn’t be more timely. Torque is proud to be back as a sponsor, host committee member, and partner in bringing this powerful convening to life. We’re joining hundreds of planners, developers, artists, and changemakers to champion one shared belief: Art and culture are not “nice to have.” They’re essential infrastructure.
Why It Matters Now
Urban environments are under pressure—economically, socially, and environmentally. And yet, creative programs are often the first to be cut. But the evidence is clear: investing in arts and culture isn’t a luxury without return—it’s a proven catalyst for transformation.
Cultural interventions have the power to turn an empty office building into a buzzing creative hub, revive a struggling Loop street with color, music, and life, and reimagine an overlooked retail strip as a canvas for community expression. In challenged neighborhoods, the arts restore identity, agency, and connection—inviting residents to not just stay, but to shape what comes next. Public art, performance, and placemaking initiatives breathe new purpose into underused, forgotten or abandoned urban places, creating destinations where people gather, celebrate, and heal.
Culture doesn’t just reflect our communities—it rebuilds them.
That’s why Torque is doubling down on creative placemaking.
Creative Activation = Civic Impact
From murals that shift neighborhood narratives to public installations that invite connection, art has the power to transform a street corner into a shared experience. This is about more than beautification — it’s about belonging, identity, and civic pride.
What’s Next
At Imagine. Create. Activate!!, we’ll be:
Activating public spaces in real-time across Chicago
Engaging in honest conversations about purpose-driven development
Exploring how creativity fuels ROI—social, emotional, and economic
Rallying for change, because policy follows vision
A Call to Action
The future of cities depends on more than steel and glass. It depends on stories, color, culture, and connection. That’s what we’re pushing for - and that’s why Imagine. Create. Activate! is more than a conference. It’s a movement.
Join us.
Let’s create places that don’t just exist—but inspire.
🔗 Register now
📍 September 22–24, 2025 – Chicago
🔥 Follow @Torque for more from the front lines of urban activation.
