"From Rust Belt to Artist Belt" - Artists lead economic development

Greg Ruffing/Redux for The Wall Street Journal
Mr. Di Liberto and Ms. Boneham outside their new home in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood.

Artists have long led development by moving into inexpensive neighborhoods and revitalizing them into places they could no longer afford to live in. A process that always happened organically. However, according to the Wall Street Journal, hard economic times have forced everyone to become more creative and government officials and developers are actually seeking out artists to help revive neighborhoods blighted by foreclosures and retail vacancies.

What began as a grass-roots movement, with artists gravitating to cheaper neighborhoods and making improvements, is now being embraced by city officials as a tool to revive neighborhoods reeling from vacancies and home foreclosures.