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March 31, 2026 87 mins

Download Story City to get out and adventure! https://links.storycity.app/forward-to-store

We head over to Austin, Texas for this episode to sit down with Matthew Schmidt who takes us through the cultural reset currently developing in the City to create a community where culture and economy can thrive together. 

As a leader in the City of Austin’s Business Development and Economic Expansion division, Matthew walks Emily and Tim through his strategy to a thriving cultural centre through community engagement and economic infrastructure. We dive into the history of cultural funding in Austin, the importance of financial  diversification within a civic ecosystem, and the role that the City plays in supporting artists and non-profit organizations to reframe creativity as business.

This episode covers:

  • The current place-based cultural strategies being used in the City of Austin and how these initiatives have changed over time to bring continuous cultural value to the community
  • The distribution of the City’s Hotel Occupancy Tax to fund public spaces and the importance for cities to diversify their revenue streams early
  • The evolution of economic development metrics to dedicated arts offices to accurately capture the cultural impacts in the City
  • Tools which can be used by municipalities to deeply engage their community and how to use these tools to keep meaningful metrics
  • What creators can expect from the City in the next 3-5 years


SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh8rKab1BFgpmHcjS-9sfOH0fRKPVdE2M
LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/si/podcast/vibrant-spaces-podcast-by-story-city/id1760077454
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2mQxJbv9DF1DdSxl2NTtF3
LISTEN ON AMAZON: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e6c6c83d-f728-4ddd-991e-365439087fcb/vibrant-spaces-podcast-by-story-city 

CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS & GUESTS
Emily Craven |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilycraven/ 

Tim Souza |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-m-souza/
Matthew Schmidt | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattschmidt24/

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The post Vibrant Spaces S02 EP05 | The Long Game: Aligning Values, Vision, and Vibrancy appeared first on Story City.

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