New London — The city is taking stock of its history, arts scene and cultural assets with the formation of a cultural district that will act as a central hub for the coordination of events, exhibitions and promotions.

The City Council on Monday unanimously approved an ordinance that establishes the district and is likely to lead to the formation of a special commission to provide oversight.

The district will encompass the downtown’s historic district and include Howard, Bank and State streets. It would allow the district to showcase the waterfront and key attractions such as Hygienic Art, Custom House Maritime Museum and Garde Arts Center.

Monday’s approval by the City Council makes New London the first municipality in southeastern Connecticut to designate a cultural district and take advantage of state legislation created in 2019. The town of Ridgefield recently applied for state designation.

Under state statute, cultural districts are defined as a specific area of a municipality that has a “number of cultural facilities, activities and/or assets - both for profit and nonprofit.” The area is also to be walkable, compact and easy for visitors to recognize.

Locally, the effort to establish a district in New London has been led by the Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition. Wendy Bury, the group’s executive director, said while the state is not offering any funding for the districts, cities and towns could use the designation as a tool for marketing and promotion. It would also allow for support from the state Office of the Arts and state Office of Tourism in marketing.

Massachusetts has dozens of such districts and Bury said some of the municipalities with cultural districts have reported increases in foot traffic and reaped economic benefits as a result.

The designation is a flexible tool, Bury said, “to really think about how the city uses arts and culture for economic development.”

Some of the final steps in applying to the state for official designation will include mapping assets in the district and forming a cultural district commission. In New London’s case, councilor Curtis Goodwin has said the city is considering the idea of using its Economic Development Commission to fill a dual role. The Cultural District Commission's membership would need to be altered to conform to state representation requirements. Three-quarters of the commission must come from the arts and culture community and the majority of members must live or work in the district.

“Part of the work of the cultural district commission is to do the brainstorming. What are the assets we have and how do we tie them all together,” Bury said.

At one recent informational meeting, Bury gave an example and said the commission could help organize maritime-themed arts and music offerings for the Maritime Heritage Festival - call on the Lyman Allyn Art Museum for exhibitions on maritime paintings and coordinate venues across the city for artists and musicians.

Bury said it’s a great opportunity for the city, especially working to recover from the pandemic.

The Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition is now looking to jump start discussions about other cultural districts in the region, such as Stonington and Groton.

G.smith@theday.com