Creative Industries and Creative Communities: Policy Futures?
Creative Industries and Creative Communities Institute for
Environment, Sustainability and Regeneration Staffordshire
University, 11 th November 2009 Calvin Taylor Chair in Cultural
Industries c.f.taylor@leeds.ac.uk
Slide 2
Calvin Taylor Academic Huddersfield Creative Town Initiative
(1998-2000) Creative Yorkshire (2000-2002) 40+ strategic and
practical projects in UK and abroad (RDAs, DCMS, British Council,
UNESCO, WIPO) Director, Creative Industries Development Agency
(2000- present). From Huddersfield to the world - Design and
deliver programs of mentoring, network development, skills and
leadership development to business, community, citizens and artists
New focus creativity and innovation in service delivery CRECE,
Manizales, Colombia 2005
Slide 3
The Creative Industries: Are we becoming sceptical? 1.Questions
about the availability of robust and appropriate evidence
2.Questions about the instrumentalisation of culture 3.Questions
about the social value of creative industries employment Are we in
danger of throwing out the baby with the bath-water? Do we need a
new stand-point? Where might one come from?
Slide 4
Four propositions: 1. Whether we like it or not, mobilising
culture and creativity for regeneration or development is an
inherently political process and the politics have gone awry 2.
There is a lot to be learned from the UK experience, despite valid
critiques of some of the arguments 3. The arguments about the value
of culture and creativity are not dependent on data reality moves
faster than data 4. The future of creative industries, creative
communities depends on: knowledge, experience, some data but most
important of all - getting the right mix of intervention at the
right level
Slide 5
Lessons So, where have we come from?
Slide 6
A growing global industry.late 1990s-early noughties Country %
GDP/GVA % Employment % GDP Growth pa Australia3.33.85.7
Canada5.4-6.5 Great Britain 7.98.09.0 Hungary4.51.25- Latvia4.04.4-
New Zealand 3.13.6- Taiwan5.93.610.1 USA7.85.97.0 Sources: DCMS,
WIPO, NZ Institute of Economic Research, Stephen Siwek, Allen
Consulting Group, Taiwan Institute of Economic Research.
Slide 7
Until.. ..A reminder of where we came from?
Slide 8
Municipal socialism Greater London Council Greater London
Enterprise Board Promotion of co-operative enterprise Application
to arts and culture 1.Social democratic cultural policy
2.Connecting culture to enterprise 3.Community development
objectives
Slide 9
Local cultural production strategies: Sheffield, Red Tape
Studios and the Cultural Industries Quarter 1.Infra-structure
strategies 2.Attention to working environments 3.Basic clustering
model 4.Culture intrinsic to urban development
Slide 10
This cultural policy is also an economic policy. Culture
creates wealth. Broadly defined, our cultural industries generate
13 billion dollars a year. Culture employs. Around 336,000
Australians are employed in culture-related industries. Culture
adds value, it makes an essential contribution to innovation,
marketing and design. It is a badge of our industry. The level of
our creativity substantially determines our ability to adapt to new
economic imperatives. It is a valuable export in itself and an
essential accompaniment to the export of other commodities. It
attracts tourists and students. It is essential to our economic
success Creative Nation: A Commonwealth Cultural Policy, Australia,
1994 Available at:
http://www.nla.gov.au/creative.nation/contents.html 1.Dont need to
be shy about connecting culture to wealth creation
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Creative entrepreneurship: Richard Caves: 7 economic properties
1.The nobody knows anything principle 2.The art for art sake
principle (craft, skill, virtuosity) 3.The motley crew principle
(project orientated with flexible, inter-changeable staff (Film
industry one of the earliest, advertising, but also now more
traditional art-forms) 4.Product infinite variety the batch
principle, short production runs, customisation, personalisation
flexible-specialisation (Piore and Sabel) 5.A List/B List principle
personalised branding, small differences in skill mean big
differences in economic return 6.The time flies principle time does
literally mean money 7.The ars longa principle some works
achieve/maintain value long after their production allowing
economic rents to be derived from them. See Richard Caves (2000)
Contracts between art and commerce. Also see Henry, C (2007)
Entrepreneurship in the creative industries: international
perspectives (especially Chapters 4 and 7) 1. Encouraged focused
attention on need for intelligence and knowledge
Slide 12
The creative industries ..er, or is it creative economy..? 1.
Importance of definitions and data
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Ideas- generating capacity Ideas into practice Networking and
circulating Platforms for delivery Markets and audiences Cycle of
Creativity : Wood, P & Taylor, C Big ideas for a small town:
the Huddersfield creative town initiative, Local economy, Vol. 19
(4) Models I 1. Understand the value of a localities cultural and
creative attributes
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STRENGTHSWEAKNESSESTHREATS Factor Conditions Location &
transport connections Huddersfields built environment (heritage
& conversion uses) Competitive property prices Factor
Conditions Location & transport connections Huddersfields built
environment (heritage & conversion uses) Competitive property
prices Regional Sectoral Strengths Critical mass of businesses
Physical & virtual hubs to anchor and animate SME base Raised
profile of Kirklees in region & nationally Regional Sectoral
Strengths Critical mass of businesses Physical & virtual hubs
to anchor and animate SME base Raised profile of Kirklees in region
& nationally Business Support Environment Well established
sector-specific agencies Business Support Environment Well
established sector-specific agencies Knowledge Infrastructure
Strengths in key disciplines at HE & FE Supply of well skilled
labour Formal & non-formal routes to employment established
Individual sector champions Knowledge Infrastructure Strengths in
key disciplines at HE & FE Supply of well skilled labour Formal
& non-formal routes to employment established Individual sector
champions Demand Conditions Weak overall local demand Particularly
in higher value / more challenging segments Demand Conditions Weak
overall local demand Particularly in higher value / more
challenging segments Factor Conditions Industrial base relatively
narrow (in activity, source of demand, business model) Makes
cluster vulnerable to volatility of business cycle Factor
Conditions Industrial base relatively narrow (in activity, source
of demand, business model) Makes cluster vulnerable to volatility
of business cycle Image Negative image abides in some quarters of
the region (corporate market and the media) Image Negative image
abides in some quarters of the region (corporate market and the
media) Knowledge Infrastructure Questions over political will to
engage in strategic projects Knowledge Infrastructure Questions
over political will to engage in strategic projects Business
Support Environment Weaknesses of mainstream business support
compared with other sub-regions Business Support Environment
Weaknesses of mainstream business support compared with other
sub-regions Leadership & Partnership Low level of joint working
across the sector Lack of focal point for promoting the sector
Perceived loss of momentum Leadership & Partnership Low level
of joint working across the sector Lack of focal point for
promoting the sector Perceived loss of momentum Factor Conditions
Rising property costs Pressure on availability of suitable property
Potential business climate/image as a centre for lifestyle
businesses Factor Conditions Rising property costs Pressure on
availability of suitable property Potential business climate/image
as a centre for lifestyle businesses Competition from the Rest of
the Region Challenge from businesses in York Potential change of
attitude in Leeds towards early stage companies Competition from
the Rest of the Region Challenge from businesses in York Potential
change of attitude in Leeds towards early stage companies End of
ESF & ERDF Funding Significant beneficiary of European funding
End of current funding round End of ESF & ERDF Funding
Significant beneficiary of European funding End of current funding
round OPPORTUNITIES Partnership & Leadership Improve joint
working Provide more unified front to potential investors &
partners Partnership & Leadership Improve joint working Provide
more unified front to potential investors & partners Building
on Success Sector upbeat about future prospects Further potential
to be unlocked Kirklees can build on regional comparative advantage
of Huddersfield cluster Building on Success Sector upbeat about
future prospects Further potential to be unlocked Kirklees can
build on regional comparative advantage of Huddersfield cluster
Diversifying Business Base Grow micros into small firms Develop
non-Books & Press segments Encourage IP-based businesses
Improve robustness & sustainability Diversifying Business Base
Grow micros into small firms Develop non-Books & Press segments
Encourage IP-based businesses Improve robustness &
sustainability Competitive Dynamics of UK Print & Publishing
Industries Sector heavily dependent on P&P for jobs &
wealth creation Local future in part contingent on spatial
restructuring Competitive Dynamics of UK Print & Publishing
Industries Sector heavily dependent on P&P for jobs &
wealth creation Local future in part contingent on spatial
restructuring Huddersfields creative industries: a swot analysis
(2002)
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Models II: The Creative Industries Cluster 1.Inter-linkages
2.Embeddedness 3.Policy levers
Slide 16
Levels of policy leverage Simple and Transformational Tactical
and Practical Complex and Invisible Source: Anamaria Wills,
Creative Industries Development Agency
Slide 17
Simple and transformational Shanghai (2006) 1.Workspace
expansion programme 2.External marketing created in China 3.Local
production clusters NB: Long-term!
Slide 18
Simple and transformational: Ciclovia, Bogota, Colombia 1. The
most impressive exercise in urban creativity
Slide 19
Tactical and practical: Tanzania (2005) 1. Recognising
fragility, delicacy
Slide 20
Tactical and Practical: -Workspaces -Regeneration -Creative
skills -Cultural expression -Enterprise -Economic development
-Social inclusion -City marketing The Storey Creative Industries
Centre Lancaster (2009)
Slide 21
Complex and Invisible Factory 798, Beijing, China, 2007 1. The
beginnings of a grassroots culture of creative production
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Complex and Invisible: Access-space Free media lab Open access
learning community From e-consumers to digital producers Sheffield
1. Re-designing creative economics
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Creativity re-discovering culture? Beijing, 2007
Slide 24
Some references Cunningham, S. (2004) The creative industries
after cultural policy: a genealogy and some possible preferred
futures. International journal of cultural studies, Vol 7(1),
105-115. Henry, C. (ed.) (2007). Entrepreneurship in the creative
industries: An international perspective. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Kong, L. & OConnor, J. (eds.) (2009) Creative economies,
creative cities: Asian- european perspectives. Dordrecht: Springer.
Oakley, K. (2004) Not so cool britannia: the role of the creative
industries in economic development. International journal of
cultural studies, Vol7(1) 67-77. Scott, A.J. (2005). Creative
cities: conceptual issues and policy questions. Paper presented at
OECD International Conference on City Competitiveness, Santa Cruz
de Tenerife, Spain 3-4 March 2005. Wood, P. and Taylor, C. (2004).
Big ideas for a small town: the Huddersfield creative town
initiative. Local economy, Vol. 19 (4).
