Arts in the city: Debates in the Journal of Urban Affairs

There has been growing interest in the urban affairs literature in investigating the role of the arts in the city because of its multifaceted potential to impact a place. To document central elements of the emerging debates on the arts and the city over the last 20 years, we examined key articles on the subject published in the Journal of Urban Affairs and highlighted their links with several special issues of other journals. The debates canvased over this time can be organized as (1) defining artists as human capital, (2) studying cultural amenities, and (3) examining the role of art around the city. This analysis uncovers some of the themes, methods, and places articulating these academic debates and identifies pivotal overarching economic, symbolic, and social issues. The paper suggests that key directions for future research include widening the journals to be analyzed; developing bibliometric analyses; broadening the geographic selection of case studies, including research in languages other than English; and encouraging more special journal issues focused on art and the city to facilitate multidisciplinary conversations.