Culture Commons - paper on cultural anchors out now

Heritage buildings are so often described as ‘anchors’ for place — but what does that really mean in practice?

That’s the question at the heart of this new Discussion Paper, co-authored with Dr Lucrezia Gigante and Professor Catherine Richardson, and co-commissioned by Culture Commons and the Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries at the University of Kent.

We explore how redeveloping heritage assets in visible, central locations is already sparking culture-led regeneration — and, crucially, how these spaces are becoming platforms for deeper public participation and local decision-making. Far beyond bricks and mortar, they are emerging as vital civic infrastructure for communities to imagine, and take part in, their own futures.

This paper builds on a growing evidence base that is helping to inform regional and national policy in real time, part of the Culture Commons devolution inquiry. And as we now look towards Phase Two of the programme, there’s a genuine opportunity to go further: to surface more examples, test ideas, and better understand how culture and heritage can unlock new forms of place leadership and power-sharing.

If you’re working in this space, or want to be part of what comes next, we’d love to connect. The conversation is growing — and this is the moment to get involved.

https://www.culturecommons.uk/publications/culture-led-capital-projects

#CulturalDevolution #Placemaking #Heritage #Regeneration #PublicEngagement #CivicParticipation #Policy #CulturalInfrastructure #PlaceLeadership