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Tucson Mayor and Council adopt Somos Uno cultural heritage strategy
Summary
Mayor Regina Romero and the Tucson Mayor and Council unanimously adopted Somos Uno, a cultural heritage strategy built from public engagement, an asset inventory and an economic impact study. The plan sets a four‑priority framework and implementation actions and asks the city to create a management structure to steward cultural heritage.
Mayor Regina Romero on Jan. 22 presented Somos Uno, a new cultural heritage strategy for the city of Tucson, and the Mayor and Council voted to adopt the plan as a strategic plan for the mayor and council.
The 1st reading: Romero described the plan as “a cultural heritage strategy for the city to plan and manage its cultural assets and amplify the impact of its creative communities.” The mayor credited more than 1,700 survey responses, steering‑committee work and community ambassadors for shaping the plan.
Why it matters: The strategy inventories Tucson’s cultural assets, quantifies their economic contribution and lays out governance and program actions intended to protect history and expand creative economic opportunity. Consultant Holly Shen of Lord Cultural Resources told the council that the plan includes “a vision, 4 priority areas, 19 strategies, and 97 actions.” She said the plan treats history, heritage, arts and culture broadly — explicitly including culinary and food‑heritage sectors.
Key elements: The plan’s four priority areas are governance and policy; creative placemaking and placekeeping; belonging and cultural equity; and cross‑sector collaboration. The presentation cited a cultural‑asset inventory and an economic and fiscal impact analysis prepared by John Stover and Associates, which the consultants summarized as finding about 3,177 cultural establishments, more than 52,000 jobs in cultural sectors and roughly $8.4 billion in economic activity for the two core categories described.
Implementation steps discussed: Shen and city staff recommended establishing a focal point in city government to manage cultural heritage efforts, working in partnership with the Arts Foundation and other cultural organizations. Mayor Romero and staff said the city will consider governance steps, possible positions, and how the plan aligns with other strategies such as housing, mobility and infrastructure.
Council response and adoption: Council members praised the broad engagement and the plan’s potential to strengthen community identity and local economic development. After a motion to accept the strategy was made and seconded, the council voted by voice — “Aye” — and the motion carried.
What the vote did: The council’s action formally accepted Somos Uno as the city’s cultural heritage strategy and directed staff to proceed with the implementation steps described in the plan.
Looking ahead: The plan’s implementation will involve cross‑departmental work and further community coordination, including work with Visit Tucson, the Arts Foundation and neighborhood partners to identify priority actions, funding pathways and metrics for progress.
Ending: Mayor Romero called the plan “a labor of love” and urged continued partnership between city departments and community organizations to advance the plan’s 97 actions.
