New Centre For Cities Report

Towns which were doing well in 1901 are still on top now says a new report by the influential Centre for Cities think tank. Cities Outlook 1901 takes data from the 1901 Census to trace the economic fortunes of cities in the UK over the course of the 20th century.  By providing fresh insight into successful urban economies at the beginning of the 20th century, the report helps us to understand what policy makers can do to improve the prospects of cities for the future. In particular, Cities Outlook 1901 finds that skills are the most important factor determining long-term urban success, and therefore should be a key area for policy intervention. Seven out of eight of the best performing cities today had above average skills levels in 1901, while 80 percent of cities with vulnerable economies in 2012 fall into the bottom 20 cities for skills levels in 1901.

Belfast Sound Map

For all of us working on place and people's perceptions  mapping, this is a great and creative piece of work. I love it!

Cities Outlook 2012

The Centre for Cities have just published their annual health check on UK cities – Cities Outlook shows that the gap between places has widened since the recession, with cities like Cambridge, London and Edinburgh continuing to do well, while cities with struggling economies are falling further behind.

Queen of Shops Saves Britain's High Street

Celebrity retail expert Mary Portas has published her report into the UK's retail sector, telling the Government how to rejuvenate city centres and advocating 'town teams'. In the report there are 28 recommendations on what can be done by government, local authorities and business to help high streets revive. Of course, cultural planners, urban design and niche retail specialists have been arguing for special measures to be taken to revitalize town centres for ages... but that was yesterday and we are not celebrities...

Cultural Regeneration 2.0 Innovative approaches to regeneration

Interesting debate to follow if you are a member of the Academy of Urbanism Group on Linkedin.

Riots in North London

Public spending cuts and urban riots. Self explanatory.

Norway

Our heart goes out to our friends and colleagues in Norway during these difficult times. Your openness and democratic values are an inspiration to us all.

Bastille Day Reading

To celebrate the 14th of July in true French style, we suggest you revisit the Penguin collection of essays by Georges Perec titled Species of Spaces and Other Pieces . His reflections on how space begins and how it is made are playful and poetic. In essence, by asking the question: 'where is our space?' Perec shows that, above all, planning needs to fulfil human needs and urbanism has to be the ultimate goal of place-making.

Rethinking the Creative City

Cities from all over the world are undergoing change and transformation, and some are developing interesting models of social and urban innovation, mostly out of necessity and only with hindsight do they see themselves as 'creative cities'. For at least a decade now the 'creative city' label has been used in some cases as an aspiration and in others as a brand, an unquestioned byword for enhanced urban competitiveness and boosted attraction factors. Following the global financial meltdown, cities more than ever need inspiration and forward-looking thinking. This is why we welcome the start of a frank and open debate about both the positives and the negatives of the 'creative city' approach. Here is an article on this subject published by Lia Ghilardi in the Czech architecture magazine ERA 21 in August 2009.

C. Landry: Creativity @ The Crossroads

Centre for Cities: Get Real with the Creative City

C. Leadbeater: The Completely Creative City

A. Pratt: Creative cities – the cultural industries and the creative class

GJ. Hospers and CJ.Pen: A View on Creative Cities beyond the Hype

O. Mould: Ranking Creative Cities: an exercise in futility?

M. Nathan: The Wrong Stuff

J. Peck: The creativity fix

Swedish Municipal Cultural Planning

Cultural Planning is now firmly embedded in both policy and practice in Sweden. For those who can read Swedish, here is a very useful Handbook compiled by the Cultural Planning Network together with the Association of Swedish Municipalities. To get the Handbook please go to: www.sklkommentus.se

URBACT Report

The report Cities Facing the Crisis was launched at the Annual Conference of the EU programme URBACT held in Liege at the beginning of December. The video featured here summarises the findings of the report and presents the key issues debated during two days of intense discussion and exchange.


URBACT cities facing the crisis (Part 1)
Uploaded by urbact. - Up-to-the minute news videos.

Rethinking Cultural Policy

Culture Shock is a new paper by Demos calling for change in cultural policy, its function and delivery in the light of the changes taking place in technology, society and cultural production and consumption. You can download the paper here

Beautification or Regeneration?

Thousand of volunteers dig in for I-70 project in Indianapolis
Could this be how the Big Society looks like? The killer answer is in the comment at the bottom of this article

Mercer 2010 Quality of Living Survey

European cities still dominate the top ten ranking for quality of living with Canada, Australia and New Zealand also featuring.
Vienna scores highest for overall quality of living, while Calgary the Eco-city league's top dog.
Watch the short video discussing the criteria for city ranking.
Ranking tables and descriptions are to be found here.

The Other Side Of Branding

For all those cities that are battling for pole position in the urban league... David Brier says...

Get Real with the Creative City

Firm Intentions: Cities, Private Sector Jobs & The Coalition is the title of a new report by The Centre for Cities calling for more realism from the Coalition and cities across England pursuing sectors such as green industries or creative clusters. The document focuses on evidence that only a small number of cities will be able to develop specialist clusters in sectors identified as “growth” industries.  These are more likely to emerge as a result of a natural or historic advantage – such as life sciences in Cambridge, with its highly qualified workforce and its University – than government intervention which has been found to be limited.
 The report also identifies a “reality gap” at a time of shrinking public expenditure. 70% of cities in England believe they have a creative industries sector worth investing in, 46% of cities, a green or low carbon sector and 59% of cities, an advanced manufacturing cluster.  More than one in four of England’s cities plan to support the emergence of all three, despite funding constraints.
Download the report here: http://www.centreforcities.org/firmintentions

Cultural Planning in Canada

The internationally renown cultural planner Greg Baeker has just launched an edited publication called: Rediscovering the Wealth of Places (published in Canada by Municipal World). The book focuses on methods and case studies for the effective integration of culture in planning across municipal departments of Canadian cities. It is a practical and intelligently written ‘how to’ guide providing conclusive proof that municipal cultural mapping processes are often the key to effective policies for building creative advantage. By the way, just in case you were wondering, this applies to cities large and small both in Canada and outside! Well worth getting hold of it!

Gentrification and Its Discontents - Magazine - The Atlantic

Gentrification and Its Discontents - Magazine - The Atlantic

The International Architecture Showcase - Mimetic City

Between 19 June and 4 July the British Council, in partnership with the Architecture Foundation and more than 34 London-based embassies, presented a programme of exciting new work by practices from different countries on the theme of 'The Welcoming City'. The International Architecture Showcase featured exhibitions, installations, film screenings, debates and lectures hosted by diverse institutions across London, with the aim of challenging perceptions and opening minds to new possibilities in urban living. Check out the Mimetic City Istanbul event, a collaboration between Kerem Turker of Rada Design and Noema Research and Planning.
http://www.lfa2010.org/event.php?id=352&name=turkey_mimetic_city

Ostrava 2015

The Czech city of Ostrava is currently preparing a bid for EUCOC 2015. On May 13 and 14, Lia Ghilardi and Colin Mercer visited the city and lead a series of talks and workshops on Cultural Planning and Mapping designed to help the city to focus on its cultural and creative economy priorities and aims.
In addition to that, on June 24-25 Ostrava will host a major conference on the soft factors influencing regional development. Check it out!