LYNN — The city has been awarded funding through the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s (MAPC) Technical Assistance Program (TAP) to support two major initiatives: the city’s first-ever cultural plan and the continuation of key community health initiatives.
The funding is part of more than $440,000 distributed across 31 municipal and regional projects in Greater Boston, aimed at advancing priorities in housing, economic development, climate resilience, and culture.
For years, Lynn has built a reputation as a vibrant cultural hub, home to a strong arts community, a designated cultural district, and public art projects like the Lynnstallation initiative.
Now, with funding from MAPC, the city is moving forward with its first official cultural plan, a structured effort to integrate arts and culture into its long-term development strategy.
LaCrecia Thomson, who has served as Lynn’s arts and culture planner since August 2021, has been pushing for this initiative since she started in her role. She explained that from the beginning, one of her primary goals was to establish a formal cultural plan that would provide long-term direction for supporting artists, cultural organizations, and creative enterprises in Lynn.
“The idea for a cultural plan comes from the need for a structured approach to supporting our local creatives, cultural organizations, and community members,” Thomson said. “This plan will allow us to map our cultural assets, identify strengths and challenges, and provide a clear direction for the future of arts and culture in Lynn.”
The cultural plan will build on Vision Lynn, the city’s broader comprehensive plan, ensuring that arts and culture remain a core part of the city’s growth strategy rather than an afterthought. Thomson said the goal is to blend the arts and culture plan seamlessly into Vision Lynn, creating a holistic approach to development that acknowledges the role of creativity in economic growth, community engagement, and city planning.
While Lynn has a strong foundation in the arts, Thomson emphasized that the city has never had the resources to conduct an in-depth study of its cultural strengths, needs, and gaps.
“It would be very helpful to myself and all of the art and culture stakeholders in the city to take a deep dive into where we are strongest and where we might be lacking,” Thomson said. “We have an incredible arts and culture climate here — it’s vibrant and full of passion. But we need to ensure that our strengths are used effectively and that we have a clear understanding of where additional support is needed.”
Thomson pointed to other cities that have successfully implemented cultural plans as models for Lynn’s approach. She and her team have studied cultural plans from New Bedford, Worcester, and Lowell, as well as a recent plan MAPC helped develop for Boston’s Chinatown district. She hopes to adapt best practices from these communities while ensuring that Lynn’s plan is uniquely tailored to the needs of its residents and creative sector.
In addition to mapping cultural assets and assessing the city’s needs, the plan will involve significant community engagement to gather input from artists, residents, and cultural organizations. Thomson stressed that community participation must be meaningful, not just a formality.
“Lynn has seen so many plans over the years where the community gave input, but then those plans ended up sitting on a shelf,” she said. “I want to make sure that when we’re asking people for their input, we’re being good stewards of their time and passion for this city. Their perspectives and ideas will be critical in shaping a plan that truly reflects Lynn’s arts and culture ecosystem.”
While MAPC’s TAP grant will fund the development of the plan itself, Thomson hopes the effort will position the city to secure additional funding for implementation. She noted that Lynn has previously received financial support for arts initiatives from sources like MassDevelopment, the Barr Foundation, and the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA). She also hopes to explore ways to integrate cultural funding into the city’s own municipal budgeting streams to ensure long-term sustainability.
In addition to the cultural plan, Lynn has also received TAP funding to support community health initiatives, which build upon past public health efforts in the city. The funding will allow Lynn to continue implementing recommendations from the city’s Food Systems Plan, Community Food Action Plan, and ALERT program, which focus on improving food security, health equity, and emergency preparedness.
While details on the next phase of these initiatives are still being finalized, the funding will support continued engagement with community, institutional, and municipal partners. Officials say the goal is to ensure that previous public health planning efforts are not only implemented but sustained over time.
Lynn Mayor Jared C. Nicholson has strongly backed the cultural plan and emphasized its potential to enhance the city’s creative economy and overall quality of life. In a letter of support for the MAPC grant, Nicholson noted that integrating arts and culture into the city’s long-term planning is essential for both economic growth and community well-being.
“A designated cultural plan will continue to support the health and elevation of the city’s art and culture resources, the city’s many creatives, and the integration of art and culture into all aspects of city development now and in the future,” Nicholson wrote.
He pointed to the city’s investment in public art and cultural organizations as evidence of Lynn’s ongoing commitment to supporting its creative ecosystem. The city has already established a permanent municipal role focused on arts and culture planning, and officials hope that the new cultural plan will strengthen this foundation while positioning Lynn for future growth.
While Lynn’s cultural plan is still in its early stages, city officials expect the planning process to ramp up in the coming months with structured assessments, stakeholder meetings, and public engagement efforts. Thomson stressed that the success of the plan will depend on community participation, and residents will have opportunities to contribute their perspectives as the project unfolds.
