Culture & regeneration

Since the 1980s, the concept of cultural planning has been considerably developed in the USA and in Australia, where it has been associated with the increased importance of culture in urban and economic development.

In the UK, cultural planning has been used since 1999 to assist local government in the delivery of cultural strategies and joined-up cultural and community plans. However, such a strategic use of culture requires an ability by policy makers and practitioners to understand the wider implications of adopting so broad a definition of culture in order to achieve urban, economic and social aims.

In this module you will explore the historic roots of cultural planning and examine current UK urban and cultural policy focusing on examples of implementation at national, regional and local levels.

Indicative content

This module enables participants to explore:

• current trends in urban development and to analyse and discuss examples of culture-led regeneration in Britain and Europe
• the origins and implementation of the concept of cultural planning in North America and Australia and an understanding of cultural planning in Britain and examples of its application
• the role of local government in the delivery of culture in Britain
• culture and the social impacts - implementation and evaluation
• examples of cultural and community strategies in England and Scotland including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Pathfinders Programme and the role of the Arts Council England in delivering cultural planning and its Cultural Planning Toolkit
  
  

Recommended reading

• Arts Council England (2003). Ambition for the arts 2003-2006. London, Arts Council England
• Bianchini, F. and Parkinson, M. eds. (1993). Cultural Policy and Urban Regeneration: The West European Experience. Manchester, Manchester University Press
• Bell, D., and Jayne, M. (2004). City of Quarters. Aldershot, Ashgate
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2000). Guidance for Local Authorities in England on Local Cultural Strategies. London, DCMS
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2004). Leading the Good Life: Guidance on Integrating Cultural and Community Strategies. London, DCMS.
• Bennett, T. ed. (2001). Differing Diversities: Cultural Policy and Cultural Diversity. Strasbourg, Council of Europe
• Holden, J. (2004). Capturing Cultural Value: How Culture Has Become a Tool of Government Policy. London, Demos
• Landry, C. (2000). The Creative City: a Toolkit for Urban Innovators. London, Earthscan
• Matarasso, F. (1997). Use or Ornament: The Social Impact of Participation in the Arts. Stroud, Comedia
• Mercer, C. (2002). Towards Cultural Citizenship: Tools for Cultural Policy and Development. Stockholm, The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation & Gidlunds Förlag
• Mirza, M. ed. (2006). Culture Vultures: Is UK arts policy damaging the arts? London, The Policy Exchange
• Momass, H. (2004). 'Cultural Clusters and the Post-Industrial City: Towards the Remapping of Urban Cultural Policy', Urban Studies, March 2004, Vol 41, No.3