PROVIDENCE — Facing a standing-room-only crowd of arts and cultural leaders, Mayor David N. Cicilline on Friday unveiled an ambitious plan designed to boost arts-related activities and investment throughout the city and to make good on Providence’s bid to become a “creative capital” for the 21st century.

The proposals, which include promoting the city as an arts and cultural destination, increasing arts-related programming in local schools and neighborhoods and positioning Providence as a leader in creative fields such as filmmaking and graphic design, were contained in “Creative Providence: A Cultural Plan for the Creative Sector,” a report that aims to make the arts a major part of the city’s future.

“For centuries, creative businesses and cultural institutions, together with individual artists, designers, writers and scholars, have helped shape the city’s economic development and quality of life,” Cicilline said. “Our goal today is to provide a blueprint that ensures the city remains a vibrant creative center for years to come.”

While admitting that some parts of the plan may have to wait until economic conditions improve, Cicilline insisted that many of the proposals could be implemented relatively quickly and inexpensively. In particular, Cicilline cited one of the plan’s main proposals — strengthening ties between the city’s Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism and the Department of Planning and Development as a way to spur economic development — as a step that could be taken almost immediately.

“Granted, these are very difficult economic times,” Cicilline said. “But that only makes the kind of programs and initiatives we’re proposing here even more important. In some cases, like giving the arts, culture and tourism departmenta bigger say in planning and development issues, it’s really just a shift of emphasis.”

Other highlights of the Creative Providence plan include:

•Creating a Downtown Cultural Authority that would help coordinate marketing efforts for downtown arts and cultural groups such as AS220, Trinity Rep and the Providence Black Repertory Company.

•Nurturing arts-related businesses, particularly in fields such as film-making, graphic design and digital media, where the city is already strong.

•Establishing a network of neighborhood cultural centers using existing resources such as libraries, schools, parks and community centers.

•Reviving the Art in City Life ordinance, which mandates that a percentage of the cost of city building projects be spent on public art. The ordinance, which is similar to the state’s One Percent for Public Art law, has been on the books since 1980 but is rarely enforced.

•Leveraging the resources of local colleges and universities to boost arts and cultural programming and education in Providence schools.

•Using money from the federal stimulus program to create arts-related jobs for city youths.

•Continuing the city’s “Providence, the Creative Capital” advertising campaign, while coordinating promotional efforts more closely with local arts groups.

While some of the report’s proposals simply restate longstanding goals and policies, this is the first time city officials and local arts groups have worked together to formulate a long-term cultural plan for the city. According to officials, the process began nearly two years ago with a series of informal meetings and brainstorming sessions.

Last fall, the effort kicked into high gear with a pair of high-profile community forums and an online arts survey that attracted more than 2,000 responses. Since then, a task force that includes representatives from some of the city’s top arts, education and business institutions, has worked to shape that material into a workable plan.

Craig Deezen, a Massachusetts-based arts consultant who helped advise the city, said the result is one of the best municipal arts plans he’s seen.

“I really can’t tell you how impressed I was with the whole process,” said Deezen, who has worked on similar projects in more than 40 cities. “In most places, trying to formulate a comprehensive, long-term cultural plan like this feels like trying to roll a rock up a hill. Here, it felt more like rolling the proverbial snowball down the hill.”

The plan (which is available online at www.creativeprovidence.org) also got positive reviews from local arts leaders, who attended the mayor’s noontime presentation at the Hotel Providence.

“I think it’s really encouraging, especially given the current state of the economy,” said Kathleen Pletcher, executive director of FirstWorks Providence. “The fact that we’re talking about expanding the arts rather than cutting back is amazing.”

bvansicl@projo.com