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