Jason Schupbach Director of Design with the National Endowment for the Arts, where he manages the NEA's grantmaking for design and the NEA's design initiatives, such as the Mayors' Institute on City Design as well as the Our Town initiative to provide funding in recognition of the role that the arts can play in economic revitalization and in creating livable, sustainable communities. Schupbach will speak on how art works to improve the lives of America's citizens in many ways. Communities across our nation are engaging design and leveraging the arts to create livable, sustainable neighborhoods with enhanced quality of life, increased creative activity, distinct identities, a sense of place, and vibrant local economies that capitalize on existing local assets. The NEA defines these efforts as Creative Placemaking.