Hung, Drawn and Cultural Quartered
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Transcript of Hung, Drawn and Cultural Quartered
A critique of the cultural quarter development in the UK
Oli MouldUniversity of
Salford
HUNG, DRAWN AND CULTURAL
QUARTERED
The Cultural Quarter policy in the UK dates back to the 1980s – with perhaps Sheffi eld and Manchester’s Northern Quarter the fi rst examples (Montgomery, 2007)
They have evolved from clusters of cultural and creative (economic) activity to meta-planned urban regeneration initiatives
Identified at least 31 in the UK so far…
Cultural Quarters
Sheffi eld
Salford
Bristol
Crit ique
They are based around (one, some or all) of the following criteria Flagship singular development Boutique and/or chain retail Leisure facilities Collection of incubator spaces
Cultural Quarters
Sheffi eld
Salford
Bristol
Crit ique
They are planned by institutions using templates defined by the level of redevelopment desired and the economic opportunities available
Intricate plans exist that ‘map’ out successful cultural quarters – they must include (Montgomery, 2007: 308) Production (Creative arts) Distribution (technological and
infrastructural) Consumption (food, retail and entertainment)
Other categorizations have included the ‘engineered and the vernacular’ (Shorthose, 2004)
Cultural Quarters
Sheffi eld
Salford
Bristol
Crit ique
Sheffi eld’s Cultural Quarter once was an industrial workshop area (cutlery, potteries and small-scale metal forgers)
A city-based CIQ ‘Area Action Plan’ was put in place in 1988 to use cultural activity to regenerate area
The Workstation and other incubator spaces were set-up out of old dis-used industrial buildings
Cultural Quarters
Sheffi eld
Salford
Bristol
Crit ique
March 1999 saw the opening of the National Centre for Popular Music (£15m)
Attempt to establish the Quarter as an ‘reassertion of the local in a global space of cultural fl ows’ (Brown et al., 2000)
After hoping to attract 400,000 visitors a year, it closed 15 months later after only attracting 104,000
Cultural Quarters
Sheffi eld
Salford
Bristol
Crit ique
Salford is home to MediaCityUK and the surrounding Salford Quays area
MediaCityUK houses the relocated BBC departments, ITV and a host of other independent TV production and post-production facilities (move started in 2011)
This CQ is owned by Peel Group and hence is a privatized, heavily-policed area
Cultural or creative activity is strictly housed within corporatized agendas
Cultural Quarters
Sheffi eld
Salford
Bristol
Crit ique
This large scale urban regenerative policy (akin to other Media Cities) are internationally-focused
Reliance on local creative community is secondary
Creating an enclave of elitism in a highly deprived part of the Northwest
Cultural Quarters
Sheffi eld
Salford
Bristol
Crit ique
Bristol’s Stokes Croft is an area with no ‘planning’ interventions as such, but high levels of creative activity
Grass-roots cultural activity – active engagement with homelessness & unemployed
Its anti-hegemonic stance is considered an attraction for freelance creative workers
Cultural Quarters
Sheffi eld
Salford
Bristol
Crit ique
Creation of a ‘buzz’ is critical
High student numbers and a reliance on night-time culture/economy
However, squatting, social unrest and crime are problems that emanate from such a policy
Start of the gentrification process…?
Cultural Quarters
Sheffi eld
Salford
Bristol
Crit ique
CQs are used as ingredients of a creative city brand, but are limited in their usage of creativity
Often, creativity & culture are used to justify or excuse existing urban development schemes (Peck, 2005; Atkinson and Easthorpe, 2009)
CQ templates devised by public-private ‘late’ capitalist agendas (private consultants etc.)
They often enforce marginalization of sub-cultural activity (unless in a pastiche or sanitized manor)
Restricts of ‘pop-up’ or ‘DIY urbanism (Deslandes, 2012), which the creative industries thrive upon
Cultural Quarters
Sheffi eld
Salford
Bristol
Crit ique
Creativity requires a relaxation of planning laws, not a reinforcement of them
Creativity and innovation (which are important planned outcomes (Montgomery, 2007)) often stems from failure
CQs in the UK are viewed as a way ‘out’ of economic stagnation…
…but they have typified contemporary neo-liberal place-based policy interventions – and in so doing repel the every activities they claim to be crucial success factors
Cultural Quarters
Sheffi eld
Salford
Bristol
Crit ique