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Creative and Cultural Industries and Urban Revitalisation in the post-COVID era
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Creative and Cultural Industries and Urban Revitalisation in the post-COVID era

BOP’s updated Handbook for the Inter-American Development Bank sets out strategies for sustainability and urban resilience

Paul Owens

Co-Founder and Director

Paul Owens is a leading international advisor and practitioner in cultural policy and creative economy. He is Co-Founder of BOP, and alongside his fellow directors he has pioneered now well-established methods to measure the impact of cultural policy. 

Paul Owens - Founder and Director  | BOP

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LOCATION

Global

CLIENT

Inter-American Development Bank - IDB

SECTOR

Projects Sectors

The creative and cultural industries are a powerful catalyst for place-based renewal. They have the capacity to animate public spaces, to attract new customers, to encourage collaboration and to bring communities together.


But what happens when the social interaction they cultivate becomes a health risk, to be managed and restricted?


In 2019, we produced a practice-based handbook on the Creative and Cultural Industries in Urban Revitalisation for the Inter-American Development Bank. The Handbook is based on an international evidence review and distils lessons from over 20 case studies of creative industries-led urban revitalisation projects, stretching back over 30 years.


Just one year after publication and the outlook for the CCIs is drastically different. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent measures to contain the spread of the virus have resulted in a dramatic loss of revenue for cultural organisations and producers, many of whom have business models based on live interaction. Prolonged uncertainty is exacerbating the damage, threatening the CCIs like never before.



The scale of the disruption is unparalleled


Despite this, successful pre-pandemic urban revitalisation projects can offer key lessons when it comes to strengthening place-based resilience following the outbreak.


In a recent webinar hosted by the IDB, ‘Creative and Cultural Industries in Urban Revitalisation – strategies for sustainability, resilience and renewal’, we were joined by policy-makers and urban practitioners from Latin America, Europe and North America to present an updated version of the Handbook.


Discussion (summarised in the visual above) covered key Latin American and global examples of CCIs-based revitalisation and considered how the general principles behind urban renewal also apply to strategies for recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

We have highlighted a few of the key lessons below:

  • The CCIs should be regarded as an ‘eco-system’. City leaders need to understand the inter-connected nature of the CCIs with a particular place

  • All stakeholders –government, business and civil society- should be working together around a common vision

  • Knowledge-sharing platforms and formal channels of communication should be established between the sector and government to navigate an uncertain future

  • This is an opportunity to innovate – to try new approaches to uses of public space, to interact with audiences in new ways and to embrace digital technologies.

Conversations around urban renewal may have taken on a different – and more urgent – tone in 2020. Yet there is a huge body of knowledge cities can draw from as they adapt to the crisis.


The CCIs are a powerful and proven driver of sustainable revitalisation. Despite the uncertainty ahead, they can play a leading role in the recovery.

Creative and Cultural Industries in Urban Revitalisation – A practice handbook

The creative and cultural industries are a powerful catalyst for place-based renewal. They have the capacity to animate public spaces, to attract new customers, to encourage collaboration and to bring communities together.

Project Report

Creative and Cultural Industries in Urban Revitalisation – A practice handbook

BOP Consulting, in collaboration with Raybel Charters and Santra Consulting, was commissioned by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), together with National Historic Ships-UK (NHS-UK) to conduct a research study on the current state and needs of the UK’s historic ships sector.

Future Proofing Heritage

National Lottery Heritage Fund

Our report for the British Arts Festivals Association paints a picture of a resilient sector that is surviving rather than thriving.

Festivals Forward

BAFA

BOP Consulting was appointed to outline a pilot for a Creative Worker Income Guarantee for Brighton & Hove, working on behalf of the University of Sussex and the ABCD Cultural Recovery Programme. 

Cultural, Creative and Collective Recovery: Exploring a Creative Worker Income Guarantee

University of Sussex

The report on how global cities tackle climate change with cultural policies and programmes. Insights from the World Cities Culture Forum's latest report.

The Green World Cities of Tomorrow: Culture and Sustainability – Special Report Prepared for WCCF Global Conversation

World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)

Unique case guide is co-produced with the participating cities of WCCF, highlighting city examples and a global cities approach to evidenced-based policymaking.

Culture Counts: New Approaches to Evidence Based Cultural Policymaking in World Cities

World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)

Working alongside CRAIC, a new research and collaboration centre at Loughborough University, we conducted an extensive survey of virtual production assets throughout the United Kingdom to map the country’s growing ecosystem.

Mapping the UK's Virtual Production Ecosystem

Loughborough University

The World Cities Culture Report (WCCR) 2022 builds on the ground-breaking 2018 and 2015 Reports. It gives insights on the major challenges world cities facing.

World Cities Culture Report 2022

World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)

BOP's contribution to the 2nd edition of the report UNESCO's Global Creativity Report, examining policies safeguarding the creative and cultural sectors.

UNESCO's Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity Report – Addressing culture as a global public good

UNESCO

BOP’s updated Handbook for the Inter-American Development Bank sets out strategies for sustainability and urban resilience

Creative and Cultural Industries and Urban Revitalisation in the post-COVID era

Inter-American Development Bank - IDB

We investigated the potential impact of AI for European cultural and creative businesses. Explore the transformative opportunities AI brings to industries.

Opportunities and Challenges of AI for the Cultural and Creative Industries

European Commission

Research in the Gulf Co-operation Council States in collaboration with British Council and BOP Consulting helps identify opportunities for festival development.

An evidence-base for the growing Gulf festivals sector

British Council

BOP’s report on creating a healthy night-time economy for the Nanjing City Government demonstrates the importance of cross-cutting policies.

Creating Healthy Night-time Economies in World Cities

Nanjing Creative Center

Findings from our work at Great Ormond Street Hospital reveals how visual arts enhance the patient, visitor, and staff experience.

Creativity in health settings

GOSH Arts

Our new report for UNESCO sets out the huge global impact of COVID-19 on the cultural sector. We estimate $750 billion lost for the CCI and 10 million job cuts.

Economic impact of COVID-19 on the Cultural and Creative Industries

UNESCO

New handbook 'Making Space for Culture' explores how world cities address the challenge of preserving cultural infrastructure while promoting growth.

How can cities make space for culture?

World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)

Our research for the National Trust suggests approximately 3,000 Grade II buildings at risk in urban areas and discusses the impact on heritage and communities.

Protect urban heritage to prevent growth in inequality

National Trust

Our review of the Scottish Animation Sector, commissioned by Creative Scotland, has just been published

Review of the Scottish Animation Sector

Creative Scotland

UK-wide study of visitor experience practice provides new benchmarks for cultural and visitor attractions

Sharing Operations and Visitor Experience insight

VE:Forum

Our ‘blueprint for growth’ strategy has just been published for the video games sector in the West Midlands.

What's next for a video games cluster?

ukie

The World Cities Culture Report 2018 explores the evolving role of culture in global cities. The report provides a view of the state of culture in our cities.

World Cities Culture Report 2018

World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)

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Paul Owens - Founder and Director  | BOP

Paul Owens

Co-Founder and Director

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