No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The accelerated growth of the creative economy poses two problems for policy analysts. The first is the disconnect that exists between the use of conventional economic accounting tools used to capture skills and innovations in quantitative ways, and the qualitative essence of creativity itself. The second problem is the tendency to examine and portray the creative economy in theoretical terms rather than through empirical studies, which creates an artificial basis for policy design. In this article, 'relational mapping' is outlined as an alternative empirical model and as a possible solution to both sets of problems. Relational mapping portrays the creative economy as a system of relations between workers and networks, which represent the principal creative spaces through which creative enterprise takes hold. In categorizing the creative economy in this way, it is possible to uncover new patterns and regularities in creative practices, which open up new avenues of enquiry. As an example, a relational map of arts-based organizations and networks operating in the West Midlands, United Kingdom is examined here, which magnifies the importance of underground scenes KEYWORDS creative economy relational mapping networks social capital underground lock-in Downloaded by [University of Birmingham] at 07:48 19 November 2014 Rachel C. Granger | Christine Hamilton 48in creative economic activities, and from which it is possible to conceive of an upperground, middleground and underground of creative spaces taking hold and driving creativity in different ways.

Copyright and moral rights to this thesis/research project are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial, research or study without prior permission and without charge. Any use of the thesis/research project for private study or research must be properly acknowledged with reference to the work's full bibliographic details.This thesis/research project may not be reproduced in any format or medium, or extensive quotations taken from it, or its content changed in any way, without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s).If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact the Repository Team at Middlesex University via the following email address:eprints@mdx.ac.ukThe item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated. It is against recent experiences of virulent neoliberalism and commodification in UK urban environments that regeneration practitioners and core professionals must confront assumptions about the impact and purpose of recent renewal strategies. Over the last decade, urban landscapes have been reinvigorated through intense design and renewal and a massification of private investment, which have come to characterise a new urbanism. Urban regeneration -the broad banner under which much of this change has occurred -has been encouraged by many localities to the extent that it has been beyond reproach by political and critical analysts. This paper makes use of the current respite in urban renewal, which has been brought about by changes in financial markets, to revisit the policy principles and impacts of existing renewal projects as well as the strategic aspirations of several urban areas. It is hoped that this paper might stimulate debate about the future form of urban regeneration and consideration of the need for changes in policy design. INTRODUCTIONUK towns and cities -like many others in the western worldhave been enjoying something of a renaissance, both economically and physically. Declining global growth and the onset of the banking crisis in 2008 has punctuated, for many urban areas, what has been more than a decade of uninterrupted growth, investment and economic buoyancy that has led many cities out of structural decline but which is now presenting new problems. While it is unclear to what extent the current recession will be transitory or localised, the present economic climate provides an opportune moment to reflect on the extent of recent growth and urban change and assess the integrity of the 'urban renaissance'.This paper argues that much of what has taken place in recent years in urban areas has been renewal rather than regeneration, given its physical rather than economic or social nature, its exclusive design and its limited impact on addressing existing needs. While the longer term sustainability of towns and cities has been eclip...