This toolbox is designed to provide you with the tools and resources you’ll need to get started on your own cultural facility development or to explore the practice of creative placemaking.

Toolbox Topic Browser

How Do I Use This Toolbox?

Not sure where to start? Explore the topic browser questions, or have a look at our featured content. Throughout the toolbox you’ll find guides, tip sheets, templates, examples, and videos on a range of topics for you to discover.

What Are the Main Stages of Project Development?

While each of Artscape’s buildings required a unique approach to realize the initial vision, all projects undergo a similar process in terms of the main stages of development.  Watch this short video to hear Artscape president and CEO Tim Jones explain the five main project stages.

What Are the Most Important Factors in a Successful Project?

In this short video, Artscape president and CEO Tim Jones explains why a strong project vision, diversity of people and uses, a critical mass of creative people, a spirit of collaboration, and development capacity are crucial to the success of any project.

What is Pre-Project Development?

Pre-project development encompasses the important work that needs to take place before your project’s physical development can begin.

What Should I Consider When Selecting a Site?

They say location is everything, and it is important to understand both site-specific and place-based drivers of cultural facility projects. 

How Can I Use Planning Tools and Incentives?

Explore Planning Tools 101, a guide on planning tools used by Artscape, including information on legislation, fiscal tools, incentives and other government assistance that may be used to support the development of cultural infrastructure.

How Do I Manage My Project?

At Artscape we have learned that effective project management is essential to the success of any project. This includes a project management team built around a small number of dedicated individuals who bring a range of leadership, skills and experience to the project.

How Can a Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) Advance My Project?

An REOI is most useful in the pre-project development stage and can be used to test and refine the vision, mission and mandate of a project. 

How Do I Assess the Feasibility of My Project?

A feasibility study considers all of the aspects of your project to determine if you should take your project idea forward.

How Do I Select and Contract Specialists and Services?

For projects with few requirements, a simple Request for Qualifications (RFQ) can be issued. As requirements increase in complexity and cost, the procurement process becomes more complex.

Who Are My Stakeholders and How Do I Engage Them?

Artscape’s projects secure their financial sustainability and public support by ensuring that an ever-widening circle of partners, stakeholders and supporters are engaged in the project from the outset and can contribute to the development of a shared project vision.

How Do I Approach the Design Development Process?

Turning a good idea for a project into reality can be a long and detailed process. Once you have established your project vision, there are multiple stages of planning, organizing, and preparing before a shovel can hit the ground.

How Do I Determine My Capital Budget?

The overall Capital Budget for your project will be determined by a number of variables listed and explained in this section. The Capital Budget Template provided is a useful tool for developing the capital budget for your project.

How Do I Pay for My Project?

When planning a capital project, one of the major challenges is to secure the funds required to complete the development.

How Do I Select Tenants?

Selecting the right tenants is critically important for the success of your project. Your tenants, after all, will bring your project to life.

How Do I Lease My Facility?

How to formalize arrangements with your selected tenants and prepare them for the transition to a new space.

How Do I Operate My Facility?

Signing a lease is only the beginning of your relationship with your tenants. Read this section for more information on operating your project, including tenanting and building operations.

Featured Content

  • What is Pre-Project Development?

    What is Pre-Project Development?

    Pre-project development encompasses the important work that needs to take place before your project’s physical development starts.

  • How Do I Select Tenants?

    How Do I Select Tenants?

    Selecting the right tenants is critically important for the success of your project. Your tenants, after all, will bring your project to life.

  • What is an REOI and How Do I Use One?

    What is an REOI and How Do I Use One?

    A guide to understanding a Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI), a briefing document that may be used as a tool to stimulate and assess interest in a project and solicit useful information.

  • What Should I Consider When Selecting a Site?

    What Should I Consider When Selecting a Site?

    They say location is everything, and it is important to understand both site-specific and place-based drivers of cultural facility projects.

Resource Types

  • Guides

    An extended explanation and how-to guide for using a tool, or a guide to a particular subject.

  • Tip Sheets

    Snappy, summarized tips for a particular tool/section, highlighting the most important lessons to be learned in a helpful, memorable way.

  • Videos

    Hear Artscape staff, community members, and partners talk about the practice of Creative Placemaking.

  • Templates

    A downloadable template providing short cuts for users that can be adapted for general use.

  • Examples

    View examples of documents Artscape has prepared during the procurement, development, and operations stages of its projects.

Unless otherwise noted, all content on Artscape DIY is copyrighted to Toronto Artscape Inc., all rights reserved. Click here for more information and to view the disclaimer.
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