ABSTRACT
This chapter overviews the application of NACIA (Neighbourhood Arts and Culture Impact Assessment) framework in five residential neighbourhoods in Singapore and discusses the key impacts of community arts and cultural activities. Application involved quantitative and qualitative analyses of data gathered through surveys, focus group and post-event discussions and interviews, as well as on-site observations. The findings showed that the “Arts and Culture Nodes” strategy contributed to a range of positive impacts on local neighbourhoods and communities, such as boosting vibrancy and enriching the identity of neighbourhood public spaces, triggering positive emotions, strengthening and building bonds between neighbours, learning new skills, nourishing stronger appreciation for the arts, and understanding and celebrating different lifestyles and cultures, among others. Arts and culture nodes that engage and activate a wider range of neighbourhood spaces and offer diverse arts programmes more frequently and more regularly tend to engender overall higher and more diverse positive impacts. These impacts go beyond the superficial “feel good” outcomes, and, although largely short-term, they bring important personal and shared values to the local communities.
