BY SYED K. JAMAL
I have come to believe that a city’s creative potential is often greater than its ability to organize, support and sustain it.
Through my work at the intersection of filmmaking, literature, cultural programming and community engagement, I have seen how creative activities bring together people who might otherwise never share a room, let alone work toward a common purpose. Artists, educators, entrepreneurs, neighborhood organizers and public officials bring different perspectives. When they collaborate, they can generate possibilities that no single institution could produce alone.
Yet communities often possess abundant talent, cultural knowledge and entrepreneurial energy without having the structures to connect those assets. Creative people work in isolation. Educational institutions develop talent without clear pathways into local employment. Businesses seek opportunities, while public agencies struggle to coordinate competing priorities.
The problem is not always a shortage of creativity. Sometimes it is a shortage of coordination.
For Tacoma, a city with a rich cultural identity and a strong sense of community, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. We measure progress through buildings, transportation improvements and business development. These matter. But we should also ask whether our civic structures help people turn ideas into sustainable opportunities.
That is why cities like Tacoma need a creative governance ecosystem.
By creative governance, I mean bringing government, artists, filmmakers, writers, educators, entrepreneurs, businesses and residents into a connected system of civic problem-solving and economic opportunity. It is not about government directing artistic expression. It is about building relationships, partnerships and shared infrastructure that allow creativity to contribute more fully to a city’s life.
Beyond the arts as an amenity
Too often, cities treat arts and culture as finishing touches on development. A mural decorates a renovated building. A festival fills a public square for a weekend. A performance accompanies a civic celebration.
These activities matter, but their potential extends far beyond decoration.
Filmmakers hire local crews and rent equipment. Festivals bring customers to restaurants and vendors. Writers, designers and musicians create intellectual property and build businesses. Cultural organizations connect residents who might otherwise never meet.
Creative activity can also help cities address difficult questions: How do we make public spaces more welcoming? How can young people imagine a future here? How do we build understanding across cultures? How can Tacoma tell its own stories to the world?
These are governance questions as much as cultural questions. Creativity should help shape a city’s development, not simply make it more attractive after the major decisions have been made.
What festivals have taught me
My experience working on Tacoma LitFest and the Festival of Light has reinforced the value of bringing people together. But it has also made me think about what happens after an event ends.
Both festivals began as new initiatives. For participating vendors, they offered opportunities to reach customers and generate sales. That is understandable. Small businesses face real financial pressures, and daily revenue matters.
Yet I found myself asking a larger question: What if we could move beyond the immediate transaction and build relationships around a shared vision for Tacoma’s future?
A literary festival is more than a marketplace for books. It can cultivate future readers, strengthen educational partnerships, create opportunities for local authors and booksellers, and establish an annual gathering that grows in value. A cultural festival can do more than sell food, clothing and crafts. It can support performers, introduce audiences to local businesses and strengthen community connections.
I believe we need a shift in perspective. Instead of asking only what an event can deliver today, we should ask what it can help build over the next five or 10 years.
This is not about expecting small businesses to sacrifice their livelihoods for community initiatives. It is about helping businesses recognize that investing in a vibrant creative community can also benefit them. A city known for its literary culture, arts, festivals and creative energy can attract visitors, talent, entrepreneurs and customers.
The same principle applies to educational institutions, property owners, philanthropists and government. Each has different priorities, but all can benefit from a city where people have more opportunities to create, collaborate and build sustainable enterprises.
A creative ecosystem emerges when participants see themselves not merely as vendors, sponsors or event organizers, but as contributors to a larger civic and economic project. That requires organizers to demonstrate tangible value and institutions to support initiatives whose benefits may take years to mature. Trust must be built through results and relationships that work for everyone.
From collaboration to infrastructure
When we talk about infrastructure, we usually think of roads, bridges, utilities and broadband. Cities also need creative infrastructure: affordable studios, rehearsal rooms, maker spaces, community media facilities and shared equipment.
These resources can be as important to a creative entrepreneur as a commercial kitchen is to a food business. Without affordable access, talented people may never get the chance to participate.
Tacoma could make progress by connecting more existing resources. Educational institutions could open selected facilities for community programs. Working with organizations like Spaceworks Tacoma, more property owners could partner with organizations to activate underused spaces. Businesses could support apprenticeships and commissions. Public agencies could simplify access to venues and permitting.
Such partnerships need clear responsibilities, sustainable funding and measurable outcomes. Nonprofits cannot indefinitely substitute unpaid labor for public infrastructure, and businesses should not be expected to assume responsibilities that belong to government. A functioning ecosystem distributes contributions and accountability.
Who shapes the creative future?
Inviting people to participate is not the same as giving them a meaningful role in decisions.
Creative governance asks residents, especially those historically excluded from decision-making, to help identify priorities, design programs and evaluate results. Artists can communicate experiences that conventional reports overlook. Young people can identify barriers that adults miss. Cultural organizations can build trust, while small businesses can explain what prevents local talent from becoming a sustainable industry.
It also requires accountability. Which neighborhoods have access to creative facilities? Are artists paid fairly? Do public events create opportunities for local vendors? Are young people developing skills that lead to employment?
These questions help ensure that a growing creative economy benefits more than a privileged few.
A civic and economic imperative
Cities compete for investment, skilled workers, visitors and businesses. Tax incentives and physical infrastructure matter, but so does the quality of life a city offers and the possibilities it creates.
A connected creative ecosystem can support independent businesses, strengthen tourism, attract production companies and help residents build careers without leaving. It can also give people a stronger stake in their city’s future.
Tacoma has the talent, stories and community spirit to pursue this vision. What we need is greater coordination, sustained investment and a willingness to look beyond individual projects toward lasting outcomes. It must treat stories as infrastructure. It must expand its working relationships with its neighboring cities to exchange notes and ideas.
No single institution can build this future alone. Government, education, business and the creative community must work together, with partnerships that survive leadership changes and success measured by more than attendance figures.
A city is more than its buildings, budgets and development plans. It is a network of people, ideas, ambitions and relationships.
Tacoma’s next chapter should not be defined solely by what we build, but by what we enable our people to create – and whether our civic systems allow that creativity to flourish.
That is the grit required to become a city we can truly call a global creative hub.
