Sounds, Shapes and Stories: The Cultural Ecology of Cities and Sustainable Urban Regeneration
In response to the challenges of deindustrialisation and globalisation, many cities have been turning to culture and the 'creative industries' as a pathway to a more secure and sustainable future. Over time, policy approaches and rationales in culture-based regeneration have evolved, as the contexts for action have changed and cities have sought to learn from their own, and others', experiences. The early emphasis on marketing, place promotion and consumption-oriented strategies has given way to a broader repertoire of approaches, involving attempts to engage more directly with processes of cultural production and exchange, both in the so-called 'creative industries' and within urban communities. Yet the success of culture-based regeneration strategies has been mixed. One of the reasons for their mixed performance is that policy makers have been equipped with only a limited understanding of the dynamics of cultural production and exchange. The main aim of this paper is to set out a framework for understanding the 'cultural ecology' of cities. It does this by drawing together ideas about 'circuits of culture' and considering how these circuits operate within, and between, the primary spheres of cultural activity: official arts institutions, commercial cultural industries and community-based cultural action. By revealing the conditions for a healthy and dynamic cultural ecology, this kind of systemic understanding can assist in the development of more sustainable approaches to urban regeneration.
Keywords: Urban Regeneration, Cultural Ecology, Cultural Economy, Creative Industries
Ron Griffiths
Graduate School Director, Faculty of the Built Environment, University of the West of England
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Ref: S07P0054