Artists can - and do - contribute to the cities in which they live, and their contribution often extends beyond mere decoration.

A public discussion held last week at the University of Winnipeg focussed on the connection between creativity, livability, equity and urban development. Hosted by the school's Gallery 1C03, the event featured presentations by those working in urban planning, media and culture, and public art, and drew a crowd of about 50 people.

First to speak was Izida Zorde, the editor of Fuse Magazine and a founding member of the Department of Culture, a national group of artists, professionals and cultural workers which formed in response to what it saw as the current Conservative government's efforts to undermine Canada's social and cultural health.

Quipping that she came "bearing warnings from Toronto," the ex-Winnipegger was highly critical of the gentrification taking place in certain neighbourhoods of that city; situations in which immigrants and the working poor have been displaced to make room for trendy condo developments, and shops and services that cater to the hip and affluent.

Zorde argued that 'Creative City logic' - made popular by American professor and author Richard Florida, who theorized that cities must actively recruit a 'creative class' of workers in order to be successful and prosperous - is misguided because it promotes a commodified version of creativity instead of an equitable one that serves the needs of citizens.

In contrast, Hazel Borys, managing director of PlaceMakers, an urban planning and marketing firm, approached the notion of creative cities from a practical design perspective. Existing zoning laws which favour cars over pedestrians need to be changed, she said, and doing so would have both ecological and social benefits.

Tricia Wasney, manager of the Winnipeg Arts Council's public art division, discussed her organization's efforts to "create the conditions and opportunities for authentic experiences." Wasney defined public art as "part of evolving culture" and suggested it can help people make sense of their communities.

Picking up on that theme was Roewan Crowe, a practicing artist and an assistant professor of Women's & Gender Studies at the U of W. Speaking about "transformational art practices," Crowe argued that art can be an effective form of what she called "cultural intervention."

"Socially engaged art is not a game for me," she said.

Crowe showed the audience pictures of art installations created for a three-day symposium she curated this past spring, including a piece by Pat Aylesworth which consisted of a large sectional couch silk screened with the words 'Home Sweet Home - Do Not Remove Me.' Placed in various inner-city locations as a way of commenting on homelessness and those displaced by gentrification, Crowe said Aylesworth's work ended up sparking a confrontation between security staff at City Hall (who were instructed to remove it from the grounds) and a stranger who happened to be sitting on the couch when they approached - a man who defended the piece's right to be there by arguing that City Hall belongs to the people.

Crowe also discussed Critical Mass, a leaderless group of cyclists that made local headlines in 2006 when one of its unsanctioned downtown bike rides ended in a violent confrontation with Winnipeg police. Arguing that radical resistance is a part of Winnipeg's history - and its present-day reality - she suggested the policing of public space is a way of criminalizing dissent which, in turn, can lead to the criminalization of creativity itself.

"Critical citizenship cannot happen without public space," she said.