There is buzz surrounding the idea of creative cities these days, but what exactly is a creative city?
A great way cities can become more creative and engage the local community is by holding a festival. By tapping into wider valuable community themes, shines the light on authentic, local design, and handmade craft.
While cities continue to grow, it is a focus on local and sustainable culture that is transforming cities.
Here’s how this phenomenon is currently playing itself out in Australia.
How did the creative cities buzz get started?
Let’s start with the man who is credited with getting this buzz kicked off.
The American Richard Florida is a public intellectual on economic and social theory.
He is best known for his books and works on what he describes as creative class and the role it plays in urban regeneration. One of his work’s basic premises is that value is added to an area by creativity and that creativity breeds more creativity and in the long run more business and capital for everyone.
Along with the lecturing he does at the University of Toronto and his position at The Atlantic as Senior Editor, his consultancy group, Creative Glass Group, helps to empower people, organisations, and communities to harness the innate creativity they have in order to achieve great well-being and prosperity.
The group has worked on projects all around the world, which includes locally in Noosa, where the Sunshine Coast Regional Alliance was formed as a result of the work they did with a developer and the Noosa Council.
They were employed to further broaden the appeal of their holiday town, which was already quite successful. Two of the events that are a result of their involvement are the Ignition News Media and Film Festival and the Great Noosa Camp Out.
Expanding The Creativity Definition
Creativity is very important for the feel and life of a city. That sounds simple enough. However, what is creativity, exactly?
It’s important to recognise the idea of economic creativity, which is a broader form of creativity that results from all types of entrepreneurial activity.
In this way, the creative industry’s growth relies on social tolerance, talent, and technology – what can be referred to as the ‘three T’s’.
Australian architect Michael Yousef emphasises the three T’s, stating “a city is often defined by its creativity. Whether that’s seen through local artworks, the designs of local buildings or just the overall vibe, people can decide very quickly whether it’s a creative city or not. For the most part, cities and the people within it want to be seen as creative rather than the opposite.”
Although the word ‘creative’ is associated by many people with musicians, artists, and hipsters, what’s becoming more applicable is entrepreneurial or economic creativity – particularly in ideas for generating income. It’s all about using creativity in any kind of job and not only in artistic jobs.
A Local Flavour
There are other people besides Richard Florida who believe that urban renewal and creativity can be used together. The concept has really started to take hold and it is being used by many to breathe new life into older cities all over the world, and frequently reinvigorate prices of property as part of the process.
For the team at Modern Day Concepts, an Australian building design firm, they believe that urban renewal and creativity is a happy marriage. “Creativity comes from the mind, your surroundings and what you see in your life, it’s a blend of all 3 really. From that, you take it out of your head and onto a page where you watch your crazy ideas come to life as urban buildings. It offers a city a chance to be truly individual and unlike any other place someone has visited before”.
Creative Cities Use Property in Ways That Help Instead of Hinder
The renewal schemes of Westbury’s focus on regeneration via a combination of the traditional business and creative arts sector. In 2008 he started Renew Newcastle as a response to the numerous buildings in Newcastle CBD that are closed up. Described as a DIY, not-for-profit, low budget urban renewal scheme, its goal is to find medium-term and short term uses for unoccupied buildings in the CBD of Newcastle that are awaiting redevelopment, were disused or were vacant. By allowing community groups, cultural projects, and artists to use these buildings and maintain them until the buildings are redeveloped or become commercially viable, it adds a spark to what would otherwise be a closed-up building or storefront.
Renew Newcastle has inspired similar revitalisation schemes in Parramatta, Townsville, Geelong, and Adelaide, and has resulted in a national social enterprise called Renew Australia which aims to create economic development, community renewal and provide the creative industries and arts with a boost across Australia. It is encouraged that communities from all over the country get involved.
According to the financial experts at Concept BK, “the high property prices in Australia can impose a tax on creativity. But a lot of work is being done to ensure creativity is not stifled by market conditions.”
This includes the work being done with Renew Australia and Renew Newcastle to enable small scale music, venues, and other creative things within our cities.
As the creative community and property industry work together closely, it allows things such as the leasing agreements discussed above, which makes it possible for constructive outcomes.
Striking The Ideal Balance
In order for a city to be vibrant, there needs to be a broad mix – however, a vital ingredient is creativity in its various forms.
So what does the ideal creative city actually look like? According to Westbury, there is not a perfect formula. The process is what is most important to him.
He says that his “perfect” city isn’t fixed but instead is a constant process. It is a place where individuals – including those who have limited access to professional expertise and capital – are constantly trying out new ideas, are able to seed new experiments, and also creating things that are interesting. It isn’t a place full of gleaming museums but somewhere with a living and dynamic culture of workspaces, small scale venues, and opportunities for exhibiting, performing and making things happen.
