Healthy Development Measurement Toolkit

Indicator PI.3.a City-serving art/cultural facilities within 1/2 mile of a regional transit stop

Data Source

Lists of facilities obtained from the following websites. Accessed September 2006:

• San Francisco Arts Commission: http://www.sfgov.org/site/frame.asp?u=http://www.sfartscommission.org
• San Francisco Grants for the Arts, 2005-2006 Annual Report: http://www.sfgfta.org/grants_html/news.html
• American Association of Museums: http://www.aam-us.org/
• California Historical Society's Cultural Directory for San Francisco County: http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/programs/ca_listings/038.html
• San Francisco Chronicle's Entertainment Section (Theatre, Dance and Opera): http://sfgate.com/eguide/search/performance/
• San Francisco Visitors Bureau: http://onlyinsanfrancisco.com/what_to_do/
• sfstation.com: http://www.sfstation.com/business-directory

Map and table prepared by City and County of San Francisco, Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section using ArcGIS software.

Table data is presented by zip code. Detailed information regarding geographic units of analysis, their definitions, and their boundaries can be found in the HDMT at the following links:

http://www.thehdmt.org/etc/Geographic_Units_of_Analysis.September_2009.pdf
http://www.thehdmt.org/data_map_methods.php

Explanation and Limitations

This is not an exhaustive list of arts and cultural facilities. There are additional art and cultural facilities in San Francisco. Given the subjective nature of what is considered an art or cultural space, we developed specific criteria of what is included on this list of art and cultural facilities. Facilities included on the list meet the following criteria:

• There is an actual, non-changing physical location for the facility
• The facility is open to the public throughout the year, not just a short term or one-time per year activity
• The primary function is public display of artistic/cultural entertainment or education
• The facility is listed on the aforementioned data sources.

The list of art and cultural facilities does include:

• Cultural organizations whose physical space is not regularly open to the public to provide cultural education, workshops and/or events
• Multiuse art/cultural facilities that include space for performance, theater, galleries, and workshops/events
• Historical societies that focused on cultural history and historical locations that serve as major tourist destinations
• Major performance halls, theaters and galleries of colleges and universities in San Francisco because their primary function is public sharing of artistic and cultural works

The list of art and cultural facilities does not include:

• Dance, theater or other performance companies, studios or troupes that do not have an actual facility/building structure that the public can regularly attend
• Studios and workplaces whose primary function is to facilitate creation of art/cultural works, not the public presentation of art/cultural works/events
• Public art, which though publicly accessible, is not its own facility
• Art galleries whose primary purpose is the sale of art works
• Artist warehouses and private art collections
• Bars/clubs that host live music and coffee shops with art displays
• Locations of annual events, festivals, parades, street fairs, expositions nor the hosting organization of that annual event
• Organizations providing support services to musicians and artists
• Traveling presentations/performances or historical tours without a single physical space/affiliated institution
• Centers whose primary function is to teach art, music, dance classes
• Public or private elementary, middle or high school performance spaces
• Spaces used for rehearsals but not performances
• Cultural organizations that are not regularly open to the public or serve primarily as a membership organization to support its members
• Churches and cathedrals, whose primary functions are religious, that regularly host concerts and other performances were not included.
• Projects or programs of hosting organizations
• Organizations providing support to tourists

While proximity does not equal access, the proximity of art and cultural facilities to public transportation is one component of helping open access and engage in art and cultural events.  Although they may be considered cultural sites, most historical preservation sites were not included in this list. The sites included on this list were ones that serve as major tourist destinations and/or are also designated as cultural facilities and/or can be considered a museum.  Some facilities have been included in this analysis even though they were closed in 2006 for renovations. Art collectives that are in the process of fundraising for a space but do not currently own a space were not included.

Some music halls were not included because they fall under the category of bars/clubs -- specifically they generate substantial revenue from the sale of alcohol, in addition to the sale of tickets for the musical event. These facilities are cultural institutions, however because of the difficulty in distinguishing these facilities from bars whose primary function is to serve alcohol and occasionally offer live music, all institutions that draw substantial revenue from the sale of alcohol were excluded. The exclusion of bars/clubs and art galleries may limit this list of art and cultural facilities, however until more comprehensive criteria can be developed, this will need to be a caveat of the institutions included.

A more comprehensive list would potentially include some or all of the spaces/items listed as "not included" above.  Due to the subjective nature and lack of data to determine whether an institution primarily serves local residents or serves the general city population and tourists, SFDPH is currently unable to develop a list of neighborhood-serving cultural institutions, though such locations are recognized as valuable assets to neighborhoods.

Many different factors influence whether an individual as access to art and cultural facilities including (but not limited to) geographic proximity, hours of operation, costs of entry or participation, transportation to the event, culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach and publicity, the cultural relevance to the individual, and time/availability.

Why is this a Community Health Indicator?

While proximity does not equal access, the proximity of art and cultural facilities to public transportation is one component of engaging in art and cultural events. Research finds that the influence/effects of the arts on health are to: induce positive physiological and psychological changes in clinical outcomes; reduce drug consumption, shorten length of stay in hospital, improve recovery time, increase job satisfaction, promote better doctor-patient relationship, improve mental healthcare, and reduce depression and blood pressure.^a,b,c,d