Placemaking and UK devolution - with Culture Commons
I’m on a bit of a place roadshow these coming weeks, and what a way to start – being part of the Culture Commons ‘The Future of hashtag#CulturalDevolution in the UK.’ My small part on this was to be part of the forthcoming paper (with the brilliant Lucrezia Gigante (AFHEA)) on cultural development and its potential to support local decision-making.
https://devolution.culturecommons.uk/
The online resource on this is worth a deep read – such a timely and vital resource to support our work and make our cases.
The paper will be out soon – so for now, the key findings vis a vis policy implications:
1. Partnership Support Needs Rethinking
Current funding structures support partnership formation but not delivery. Our research shows that culture-led capital projects need dedicated funding for the transition from planning to implementation - this is where partnerships often struggle despite strong foundations.
2. Ring-fence Engagement Funding
Community engagement can't be treated as an add-on to capital costs. We found projects achieve better outcomes when engagement funding is protected and continuous, rather than tied to specific building phases or short-term targets.
3. Cultural Leadership Is Key
Local cultural leadership development must be built into project design. The most successful projects create pathways for community members, especially young people, to move from participation to decision-making roles.
4. Heritage Buildings Need Flexible Frameworks
We're seeing innovative uses of heritage buildings as cultural spaces, but current frameworks can hinder rather than help. Policy needs to better balance preservation with creative adaptation for contemporary community use.
5. Think Ecosystems, Not Just Buildings
These aren't standalone building projects - they're nodes in cultural ecosystems. Policy should support projects to connect with existing cultural infrastructure and enable long-term sustainability through appropriate funding models.