Territories of Innovation and Artistic Flourishing
In a recent report titled "A Creative PEC State of the Nations," the authors Dr Josh Siepel, Dr Alejandro Ramirez-Guerra, and Dr Sawan Rathi explore the geography of the UK's creative industries, focusing on the role of creative corridors in driving growth and development.
The report, which is part of a series of State of the Nations Reports, delves into the demographics and characteristics of the workforce and audiences in the arts, culture, and heritage sectors. It also sheds light on the geography of the UK's creative industries at three levels: microclusters, clusters, and corridors.
Arts, culture, and heritage play a vital role in the UK, employing over 2 million people and contributing £111.7 billion to the economy. The report emphasises that place matters when it comes to creativity, as discussed in the report on Geographies of Creativity.
The findings are based on the latest available data sets and include updated mapping of microclusters and experimental analysis on identifying creative corridors. The report identifies seven 'creative corridors' within the UK that have the potential to bring supercluster-style benefits.
The report was launched with an online event, during which the lead author Dr Josh Siepel discussed the findings with a panel of industry and policy leaders. The event marked the first in the Creative PEC's new 'State of the Nations' series, which will publish regular reports on four thematic areas over the next five years.
The report also covers various aspects of the creative industries, such as skills mismatches, higher education, growth finance, and UK trade in the global creative economy. For instance, the report on Skills Mismatches in the UK's Creative Industries highlights the rapid growth of the creative industries and the resulting skills gaps and mismatches.
To optimise intervention in creative clusters across the UK, the report suggests a multi-level policy approach that combines financial investment, skills development, devolution, and ecosystem connectivity. This includes targeted funding and programmes, skills development and industry engagement, leveraging devolution and local leadership, and supporting innovation and collaboration.
Focusing on creative corridors — geographic stretches connecting multiple creative clusters — offers additional benefits. Creative corridors link hubs, enabling knowledge spillovers, shared resources, and network effects that amplify innovation and commercial opportunities. They also help balance regional development, attract investment and talent, and create compelling ecosystems attractive to investors, entrepreneurs, and skilled workers.
In summary, a nuanced, multi-level policy approach that combines financial investment, skills development, devolution, and ecosystem connectivity can optimise creative sector interventions in the UK, while focusing on creative corridors expands the scale and impact of these benefits across regions.
The report was designed by Mike Green at Green Doe, and its hero image is credited to Benjamin Elliott on Unsplash. The forthcoming reports will cover Clusters (December 2023), Internationalisation (March 2024), Arts, Culture, and Heritage Sectors (April 2024), and Education, Skills, and Talent (June 2024). The report on Foreign Direct Investment in the UK's Creative Industries discusses the potential benefits of foreign investment for the growth of the creative industries.
- The report delves into research on the demographics and characteristics of the workforce and audiences in the arts, culture, and heritage sectors within the UK's creative industries.
- The geography of the UK's creative industries is analyzed at three levels: microclusters, clusters, and corridors, as identified in the report.
- The authors of the report suggest a strategic approach for optimizing intervention in creative clusters, which includes targeted funding, skills development, devolution, and ecosystem connectivity.
- Creative corridors, geographic stretches connecting multiple creative clusters, offer benefits such as knowledge spillovers, shared resources, and network effects that amplify innovation and commercial opportunities.
- The report highlights the importance of a multi-level policy approach in balancing regional development, attracting investment and talent, and creating compelling ecosystems attractive to investors, entrepreneurs, and skilled workers.
- The forthcoming report on Clusters, scheduled for December 2023, will provide further analysis on this topic.
- The report on Internationalisation, slated for March 2024, aims to explore the role of internationalization in the growth and development of the creative industries.
- In the arts, culture, and heritage sectors, evidence suggests that place matters when it comes to creativity, as discussed in the report on Geographies of Creativity.
- Foreign Direct Investment in the UK's creative industries is discussed in a separate report, highlighting the potential benefits of foreign investment for the growth of the creative industries.
- The report on Education, Skills, and Talent, scheduled for June 2024, will focus on the role of education, skills development, and talent in the growth and success of the creative industries.
