the time is now
MARSHALLTOWN’S CREATIVE COMMUNITY
Cities that weave arts and culture into the fabric of daily life become a destination for visitors. They drive economic prosperity. They become regional focal points. But most importantly, they bloom into a springboard of imagination and a creative home for their own residents.
CONVERSATIONS SPARK.
CONNECTIONS ARE MADE.
COMMUNITY THRIVES.
Research shows that community connectedness brings economic growth and well-being. Residents establish a connection and a commitment to where they live. It is an emotional function that drives behavior — the sense of belonging, the confidence that a person can make an impact and find support in their home community. These feelings fuse people to a place and to each other.
WHEN PEOPLE FEEL CONNECTED, THEY ENGAGE TO MAKE A BETTER PLACE.
What does community connectedness look like in action? It’s volunteering, voting, a personal investment in problem-solving and collaborative work effort.
According to the Knight Foundation, the leading indicators of attachment/connectedness are social offerings, aesthetics, and openness. When Marshalltown embraces and expands its art and cultural identity, community growth and goal attainment will accelerate.
But how do we build and nurture community connectedness?
Raising the Bar
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a standardized market research tool that measures respondents’ satisfaction with one question: How likely they are to refer a product, service, or — in this case — a city to a friend. Marshalltown’s overall score was relatively low at -12 percent, but it was 25 points higher with people of color, including Black and Latino residents and those from Burmese communities. Lack of civic connection and community pride stems from devastating storms impacting Marshalltown, as well as systemic issues compounded by cultural barriers.
This makes the work of artists and the role of the creative community even more critical to growing community connectedness.
WHAT IS NET PROMOTER SCORE?
Net promoter score is measured on a scale from -100 to 100 to measure customer experience based on your likeliness to recommend something. In our case, how likely are you to recommend Marshalltown. It is a point in time, to gauge perception, satisfaction and eagerness to provide a recommendation. Tracking this metric for our community allows us to monitor growth over time. There are three levels of respondents: Promoter, Passive and Detract or. Learn more about NPS by visiting their website.
