Informing international research on cultural districts and zoning

Culture Commons’ report on Creative Improvement Districts (2022) has been cited by researchers at the University of Manchester in a new research paper published in City, Culture and Society journal.

The new paper, entitled ‘Creative improvement, cultural infrastructure and urban zones: a tale of three cities and their cultural districts’, has been authored by Professor Abigail Gilmore and Dr Claire Burnill-Maier - each based at the University of Manchester.

The paper examines how zones created to promote cultural production and consumption in urban areas bring different stakeholder groups together and how they operate within broader policy landscapes.

A comparative analysis of three cases of cultural ‘zoning’ with dominant ‘creative city’ narratives in Melbourne, Australia, Manchester, UK and Toronto, Canada are unpacked to discover how zoning is being implemented in different ways to support sectoral development.

Culture Commons’ policy report on Creative Improvement Districts (2022) - commissioned by the University of Manchester - is cited within the new research paper as a rich source of case studies that spotlight pioneering zoning activities in the UK. Amongst other things, we explore the development of new investment vehicles, enterprise incubation and research and development advancements.

City, Culture and Society is a multi-disciplinary and peer-reviewed journal for international scholarship on cities with a primary focus on the cultural dimensions of the urban condition. The journal aims to publish pioneering urban research that provides critical perspectives on the diverse urban policy and development dynamics at play in cities around the globe. For over a decade City, Culture and Society has advanced theoretical debates and produced original empirical analysis on cities as they adapt to the challenges of the 21st century.