Vitality of the Performing Arts

Abstract

Urban areas can dissipate into virtually nothing for a number of reasons including, economic decline, de-industrialization, war, and natural disasters. These instances all share a common theme, which is, the restriction of what is completely necessary to humanity’s being: contentment. When people fail to be satisfied with their urban surroundings, it encourages them to disperse and seek that which satisfies their need to thrive. Consciously or subconsciously they seek out what builds their motivation for existence and feeds their souls. Depopulated and blighted urban areas seem to lack these human sources of “soul food”. If an urban area is compared to or dealt with as if it were a living organism, it can be said that without proper means of nutrients, this organism could never flourish. So it is important to seek by what means struggling urban areas can be fed to help communities become sustainable. However, it cannot simply be a matter of “feeding” or developing areas with a ‘build it and they will come’ attitude. Rather it is important to understand that these introduced programs will be based on reason and integrated into the community to provide what it takes to stimulate growth and ensure the stability of a community. In other words, it is important to seek out and investigate what proper “nutrients” or cultural aspects are essential to the survival of urban spaces and the human existence within in order for areas to flourish. This project will deal with the investigation of what is necessary to help the sustainability of urban spaces based on human needs for suitable existence. From this social investigation it will be possible to determine the proper approach in dealing with the redevelopment of a depopulated or blighted urban area. This investigation will seek out what will serve as a catalyst for the energy and further development of urban areas and the culture within them.