Welcome to AuthentiCity
AuthentiCity is a community resource and hub for sharing knowledge, experience, and emerging ideas about Cultural Development and Heritage.
It is curated by Dr. Gregory (Greg) Baeker. Greg has worked in the cultural sector in Canada and internationally for close to 50 years and held leadership positions in five fields: museums and heritage policy, cultural policy, cultural management and sector capacity building, urban cultural planning, and local and regional economic development.
He has worked for UNESCO and the Council of Europe, has published extensively, and is read in 43 countries.
AuthentiCity was founded on the belief that the most pressing needs in the world today is connecting knowledge across generations. We need to connect the best ideas from the past with leading thinking today to shape decision-making.
In cultural development, this involves developing communities of practice that support us working together. All of us are stronger if we share and learn from each other, rather than working in competition. We need a bigger tent
In this spirit, please engage with the site ask questions, and connect through the Ask Dr. Greg a Question feature.
Our Values
Culture – Not “Arts and Culture”
If you only have arts, you don’t have culture; you need (at least) the arts and heritage before you have culture.
Place-based Solutions
Our constitution is upside down; people don’t ‘live in Canada’ they live in cities and regions. We need strategies to foster place-based wealth creation that build the tax base, not the tax burden. Sustaining and growing our cultural and media infrastructure sector must be built into cities and city-building.
Diversity and Representation Matter
Canada’s ethno-cultural and racial diversity—particularly our Black and Indigenous, communities—must be better represented in our cultural and media infrastructure. We are far from this goal.
Start a dialogue with Greg
Reach out to Greg to start a conversation about cultural planning, heritage, or to discuss consulting opportunities.