The City of London Arts Initiative was devised by Futurecity in 2009 as a strategic framework for embedding arts and culture across the Square Mile. Developed as a comprehensive 200-page strategy, the initiative explored how public art and cultural activity could support London’s position as a leading global cultural city.

The strategy set out a coherent, city-wide approach to the commissioning, procurement and delivery of public art and cultural programmes. Importantly, it was designed to operate across departmental boundaries, providing a shared framework for cultural decision-making within the City of London. It also positioned culture as a tool for inward investment, supporting the City’s role as a place to do business as well as a place of cultural significance.

A key recommendation of the initiative was the establishment of new governance structures to oversee arts, culture and heritage activity. In July 2011, the strategy was formally adopted by the City of London as its official Cultural Strategy, leading to the creation of a dedicated Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee to coordinate delivery across programmes.

One of the most visible outcomes of the initiative is Sculpture in the City, the annual public art programme that has since become a defining feature of the City’s cultural offer. Together, the strategy and its realised programmes demonstrate how long-term cultural planning can shape identity, governance and public space at a city-wide scale.

Images via Sculpture in the City