

Image credit: Hello I’m Nik
Download Project Report
Cultural Cities Enquiry
Enriching UK cities through smart investment in culture.
The purpose of this report is to consider how we can radically increase the ability of our cities to use culture to drive inclusive growth.
Culture adds value to places. The central argument around place made by the recently published Cultural Cities Enquiry (CCE) is summed up by Alison Nimmo of the Crown Estate:
“Cultural and creative uses generate property value in cities but there is greater potential to do more to capture the benefits for the sector and communities.”
Cultural activity (i.e. arts and heritage) in an area spurs the local growth of creative and digital industries. With this powerful capacity to catalyse economic development, publicly-owned cultural properties can be strategic assets for cities in driving regeneration. But regeneration can also lead to displacement of culture workers and cultural assets.
The Cultural Cities Enquiry makes a series of recommendations intended to help ensure that cities unlock the place-based benefits of culture, while avoiding culture becoming a displaced victim of the successes that it brings:
City Compacts should support the establishment of portfolio approaches to cultural property assets, where local conditions present a sound business case for doing so. These asset portfolios should maintain civic, community or cultural sector ownership of property to enable returns to be recycled
Governments should support the more widespread establishment of portfolio approaches by providing a toolkit to support Compacts in assessing viability of options, bringing together public bodies and other agencies with an active interest in this field, including Historic England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Trust, Arts Councils, Local Government Association, as well as Architectural Heritage Foundation
Governments should also support cities by funding viability studies to establish more entrepreneurial approaches to the management of property assets for cultural purposes
Compacts should also ensure that cultural activity is prioritised within city spatial plans, and that planning policy, licensing and business rates are in alignment to help enhance the cultural estate.
BOP was a member of the CCE’s working group, as well as acting as key research partner.
This is the final of a series of blogs related to findings of the CCE report. Our other blogs looked at the themes of leadership, talent, and investment.
Places transformed by culture
Cultural Cities Enquiry highlights difference culture makes to places
Mar 22, 2019
ABOUT US
EXPERTISE
A global research and consulting practice for culture and the creative economy
Nov 4, 2021
How are major cities around the world responding to climate change through cultural policies and programmes?
The Green World Cities of Tomorrow: Culture and Sustainability
Paul Owens
Apr 22, 2021
5 Priorities for World Cities in the post-covid recovery period
Culture and the Climate Emergency
Paul Owens
Dec 4, 2020
Culture can play an important role in recovery and renewal across the UK, if the right local decision-making is put in place
Culture and the Recovery: Levelling Up Culture?
Callum Lee
Sep 23, 2020
This focused, coordinated set of measures can not only rescue the sector, but position it to lead the recovery
Central London’s celebrated cultural offer is in peril
Jonathan Todd
Aug 21, 2020
Three big questions as applications close for Arts Council England’s Cultural Recovery Fund
COVID-19: Government support packages for culture and creative industries #3
Paul Owens
Jul 30, 2020
The UK’s £1.57 billion recovery package: priorities for a New Deal
COVID-19: Government support packages for culture and creative industries #2
Paul Owens
Jul 20, 2020
Cities are using their unique capabilities to lead recovery and renewal
COVID-19: Cities, Culture and the 3 ‘P’s: powers, partnerships, place
Paul Owens
Jul 7, 2020
Investing in recovery, planning for transformation
COVID-19: Government support packages for culture and creative industries #1
Paul Owens
Jun 30, 2020
Recovery and renewal will depend on how we address the three dimensions of the crisis
COVID-19 is a triple blow to culture and the creative industries
Paul Owens
Jun 3, 2020
In the face of radical uncertainty leaders and policy-makers will have to take planning and collaboration to whole a new level
‘Plans are useless, planning is essential’
Paul Owens
May 13, 2020
Nobody knows what will happen next, but we have a good idea of the three necessary steps out of the crisis
Relief, Recovery and Renewal: navigating our way to a new kind of future
Paul Owens
Dec 20, 2019
A cause for optimism
Weaving the Golden Thread into the 2020s
Paul Owens
Related Articles
By BOP Consulting
Jonathan Todd
Chief Economist
Jonathan is an economist with over a decade’s experience in impact assessment and evaluation, and high-level policy experience, particularly within the cultural and creative sectors.
Planning a new project?
If you are interested to learn more about our work or if you have a project you would like to discuss, get in touch.