Formation of the Creative Economy and Creative Spaces in the City Cities of Russia 2030: Crossroads of Opportunities Yekaterinburg, November 16th 2017 Formation of the Creative Economy and Creative Spaces in the City Justin O’Connor Monash University

Why CIs in Cities High levels of human input Dynamic of ideas in the city Economies of scale in skills and knowledge Complex divisions of labour Projects done by fluid teams of creatives organised around trust, reputation and ‘soft skills’ of teamwork

Cluster Theory Clusters come from a complex set of sources and interpreted in different ways Clusters about locality and embedded knowledge – not just agglomeration but ‘atmosphere’. Initially used to identify why certain places persisted over time and adapted. 1990s: a way of pro-actively creating such areas.  

Cluster Applications Urban Regeneration City Branding Cultural/ Creative Industries Frequent confusion of activity mix and overall objectives

Creative Industries Definition – what is not creative? Economic rationale crowds out the cultural Failure to take care of socio-cultural milieu Winner takes all accelerating (FAANG/ Alibaba, Tencent) Financialisation accelerates Gentrification Innovation capture by management/ investors.

Creative Clusters Geographic concentrations of creative industries which act to “pool together resources into networks and partnerships to cross-stimulate activities, boost creativity and realise economies of scale.” (UNESCO 2006)

Designing Creative Clusters Creative clusters are less ‘spontaneous’ and more planned/ designed. We therefore need a better understanding of how they work.

Grew up in cities without planning ‘Bottom up’ Organic clusters Grew up in cities without planning ‘Bottom up’

Soho, London

Soho, London

Lower East Side, New York

Lower East Side, New York

Bario Alto, Lisbon

Bario Alto, Lisbon

Bario Alto, Lisbon

Northern Quarter, Manchester, UK

Northern Quarter, Manchester, UK

Northern Quarter, Manchester UK

Paris

Paris

Hoxton, London

Jeff Koons (Hoxton)

White Cube, Hoxton

Fitzroy, Melbourne

Fitzroy, Melbourne

The Valley, Brisbane

Planned clusters Interest by real estate companies and by local government policy led to more planned clusters. Old industrial buildings: cheaper to refurbish – provide ‘atmosphere’.

Westergasfabrik, Amsterdam

Kulturbrauerei, Berlin

La Friche, Marseilles

La Friche, Marseilles

La Friche, Marseilles

Santral, Istanbul

Santral, Istanbul

Santral, Istanbul

Witte Dame, Eindhoven

Vinzavod, Moscow

Vinzavod, Moscow

Vinzavod, Moscow

Garage, Moscow

Cable Factory, Helsinki, Finland

Cable Factory, Helsinki, Finland

Cable Factory, Helsinki, Finland

NDSM, Amsterdam

NDSM, Amsterdam

NDSM, Amsterdam

Cities are acting Agreements with developers for temporary cultural use Work flexibly with artists who occupy empty spaces ‘Breeding spaces’: new developments have live and work space for artists and creative industries Planners and architects ‘curate’ new urban spaces to provide flexible space for small-scale artists and creative industries.

Creative Clusters Clusters remain central policy focus “Geographic concentration of cultural and creative industries” Mix of public and private, profit and not-for profit, subsidised and commercial, production and consumption.  

Designing Creative Clusters Soft Infrastructure New Media Urban Networks

Soft Infrastructure In economics this tends to mean the legal and regulatory environment.

Soft Infrastructure Also concerned with that soft infrastructure that relates to the innovative milieu and creative clusters. Spaces and practices, memory and social/ cultural capital, institutional form and local cultures in which creative production and consumption takes place.

Soft Infrastructure The success of creative clusters depends as much on their ‘soft infrastructure’ as on their ‘hard infrastructure’

Purpose Built Clusters Often ignore ‘soft infrastructure’ essential for creative industries

A New Model We have to know more about how clusters work, why some are successful and others not. There is a growing need for a flexible model or set of guidelines which can inform the planning, design and on-going management decisions of purpose built clusters.

Bootstrap tom fleming / creative consultancy Dalston, London Social Enterprise Mission-driven Impact-focused Mix of rents Cross-art-form Cross-sector Production & Consumption. tom fleming / creative consultancy

Soft Infrastructure Qualities of Place: Atmosphere and identity Mix of users Range of activities and events Services and management

Soft Infrastructure Qualities of Space: Design of public, private and ‘in-between’ spaces Choice of (not )meeting others Management of public access Clear identification of different user needs

Soft Infrastructure Needs to be built on involvement of creative wider sphere Not opposed to ‘global’ but needs capacity to absorb and respond. This capacity is growing – but peripheral to operations of clusters and large CI groups Big investment producing growth – but when it stops? Where will local creative milieu find sustainable markets?

Clusters/ Milieu (occupants) transfer of tacit knowledge through informal learning; efficient sourcing skills and information; competition-collaboration of complementary business producing learning and efficiency effects; development of inter-cluster trading, networking and joint projects; inspiration by proximity; common branding and identification;

Clusters/ Milieu (Management, Policy) delivery of common services – from utilities (internet, telephone) to business support, training and industry events; allow targeted application of industry development policies cross-subsidy or government support allows cheaper rents or other benefits for small companies and entrepreneurs; common branding and identification;

Clusters/ Milieu - Urbanistic The contribution to and benefit from a nearby ‘innovative urban milieu’ But: Gentrification debates, now central

New Media

Physical and Digital Built form and ‘serendipity’ - Milieu as ‘sagacity’ Post-digital: Materiality of co-presence and trust; Making visible, taking a step; Changing function of workspace; Changing configuration of workspace;

Post-Digital Urbanism Innovative spatial practices around sharing and utilising of urban and public spaces through the use of digital devices, communication and data;   Public displays and installations to entertain and inform, including programmable building facades, public digital art interventions and programmable screens in shared spaces; New forms of urban participation, co-creation and co-design; Support, marketing and communication of local talent, creativity and ventures; Flexible creative work patterns enabled by digital communication and effective shared utilisation of spaces, facilities and resources, including shared ambient intelligence emerging from networks

New Technologies The potential of creative clusters is now linked to their adoption of information and communication technologies as essential components of this ‘soft infrastructure’.

New Media and the City Urban screens, Wi Fi, 3G/4G, Interactive public art Ubiquitous urban computing Significant implications for the way we use cities and clusters.

New Urban Media Cities beginning to use cultural data to enhance our sense of public space and place identity. How can these can be used enhance the soft infrastructures of clusters.

Physical/ Digital How do the physical and digital change the design and management of clusters?

Urban Network Technologies Transformed the business models and working practices of creative industries What role can clusters have when creative workers can operate in a more dispersed areas?

Clusters and Urban Networks Clusters part of urban networks Connections inside and between clusters; and between clusters and the wider urban space These connections transformed by new media technologies and applications.

Clusters and Cities How do clusters relate to the wider urban milieu? How can clusters become ‘drivers’ within the wider urban ecology?

Evaluation Develop indicators which can be used to assess the ‘health’ of individual clusters;

Evaluation Develop indicators which can be used in spatial analysis (see mapping); Develop methods allowing us to model the different dimensions of ‘soft infrastructure’ in clusters and their urban environment; Develop indicators of sustainable and livable creative ecosystems.

1. Diversity Diversity within a sector: is a full range of functions present from the the whole ‘value-chain’? Diversity between sectors: is there a wide spectrum of creative industry activities Diversity of activity: to what extent is there a production and consumption mix? Diversity of offer: does the cluster attract a wide range (age, class, lifestyle, ethnicity, gender) of a) producers and b) consumers?

2. Identity Does the cluster have clear offer or identity. Producers:   Identification with a particular sector or kind of industry (audio-visual, new media) or values (‘street’, arty, entrepreneurial). Does it have a strong visual/ design identity

2. Identity Consumers: Identification with a particular sector or kind of industry (audio-visual, new media) or values (‘street’, arty, entrepreneurial). Does it have a strong visual/ design identity Does it attract a particular kind of person.

3) Interactivity and Collaboration  Do businesses feel they interact with other businesses – socially and professionally Do they feel that the space/ management/ atmosphere encourages interaction What levels and kinds of collaboration take place Do businesses feel they learn from other businesses

4. Embeddedness Surrounding activities and institutions: is it near a cultural, entertainment or retail district; or a university, art school etc. Connectedness to local area; is there interaction between those in the cluster and the immediate area – for business or social reasons (for example, people in M50 do not have much activity in the immediate neighborhood); Interconnection with other clusters: are there any links with other clusters nearby or further away? Use by wider creative community: do they organize events; do creative use just retail function to sell; do they use it to socialize; is there a virtual network (M50 have an artists on-line community).

5. Voice Do they feel their voice is heard by management; Do they feel their views are marginal with respect to others in the cluster (‘noise’) Can they only chose ‘exit’ rather than voice Do they want a voice

4 layers Digital Physical Socio-cultural Operational/ economic