Welcome to regen.culture.info – a resource for examples of culture-led regeneration projects and initiatives. These examples cover local and site specific regeneration, as well as initiatives that have been developed in response to particular challenges within a city, region or country. Scroll down past the news feature to view useful links and resources – these are summarised in the column to the right – covering both practical needs as well as current & recent research in the area.

NEWS AND COMMENTS

Remember to Login, or Register for a new account with us to enable your submissions

REGEN

A Note on Definitions

Put simply the process of culture-led regeneration can be defined (and often is in practice) as any type of regeneration-focused activity that is stimulated, catalysed and driven through cultural activities but outside of this relatively simple statement, definitions are many, varied and often contradictory.

With respect to "culture", definitions can centre on a whole variety of cultural forms. These can include activities around art-forms. Or focused on land-forms and various aspects of the built environment. Or the production and distribution of types of products - books or films for instance.  Or the exhibition of specific types of artefacts - in museums and similar venues.  Or activities focused upon the historic traditions of a place and peoples - such as the identity of specific communities, historical events, or the collective or distinct heritages of one or more groups of people.  Historically, although arbitration in cultural matters has never been easy, even when the definitions are relatively simple, cultural expressions have been recognised hierarchically and in the Western European democracies, endorsed through state-subsidies to support them.  Now however, definitions of culture have evolved and become more complex, not least because it has become recognised that cultural activities of all kinds do have a key role in driving economic activities and social cohesion under particular circumstances.

Put very simply, "regeneration" is about a fusion between economic activity and social well-being. In addition, regeneration is considered to have a more local than national focus, to have something to do with neighbourhood, town and city-level renewal and growth, to have a concern for social justice, the protection of the less wealthy, and to be concerned with sustainability and positive environmental effects.

But some argue that these are words which are used to justify insubstantial and ineffective actions.  In truth, "regeneration", like its near relative "growth", remains poorly-defined as well as something of a policy "holy cow".  Like many other holy-cows of policy, neighbourhoods everywhere are now expected by governments to prioritise some form of regeneration However, action in this area needs to be carefully considered - ill-advised or badly thought-through regeneration projects and activities can cause their own new set of problems and challenges.

And so the complexities of the situations begin to emerge. Culture-led regeneration is neither a neutral, nor an area where values and objectives are commonly defined or shared in detail by all those subject to it, or those charged with making it happen. Lastly it does not follow that culture-led regeneration is always positive in its effects and benefits.

The pages in this subportal have been prepared by Keith Hackett and Geoffrey Brown