South Coast Today - Local projects illustrate the importance of nurturing a cultural economy

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth staff are using more than $100,000 in grants to support what Dr. Matthew Roy calls the "economy of the future" — the creative one.

The creative economy is "not just about manufacturing goods and products, but it's about manufacturing experiences and images," said Roy, director of the university's Leduc Center for Civic Engagement.

A third UMass Dartmouth project that won 26,200 in funding focuses on New Bedford and other "gateway cities," which MassINC describes as historic industrial cities that face challenges in reaching their potential.