Recently Dan Keech worked on two Arts Council reports which culminated in a conference. An essay published by the KCIN with Nicky Marsh from Southampton University and subsequently launched at the House of Commons on 6th May. Dan has written a reflective piece on his involvement and how CCRI contributes to research networks.
The development of the new City Campus has enhanced the University’s profile in Gloucester’s city centre. While augmenting UoG’s infrastructure for students and staff, the building will accommodate the city library and partner with the local NHS on a health, arts and well-being centre. There is space for a gallery, enhancing the city’s cultural offer. This is all good news because ‘culture is fundamental to urban processes’ (Neumann 1992). In fact, cultural activities and investments have long been associated with a range of societal benefits, including improving place-image (Refki et al., 2020), fostering social inclusivity (McCall, 2010) and enhancing democratic engagement (European Commission & Hammonds, 2023). Consequently, cultural organisations are regarded ‘as a vehicle for broad social change’ (Vermeulen & Maas, 2021).
In 2022, our Business School carried out substantial survey and focus group work exploring Gloucester residents’ feelings about their city. This produced a mixed picture of a place with strong social cohesion but concerns about the environmental fabric of, and prospects for, the city centre. Following this, CCRI produced a report in 2023 that offered ideas for assessing the social outcomes of cultural investment in cities. This was funded by the Arts Council England (ACE) and Gloucester City Council, with help in-kind from Kier and Reef, the developers of the Forum. Subsequently, ACE asked CCRI to produce a regional study (2024) of innovations in ‘meanwhile’ (temporary) use of public space and vacant buildings.
After work with nine towns and cities in the south-west, we came up with a series of case studies for cultural meanwhile use, asset transfer to cultural organisations and ideas to develop ‘civic cultural leadership’. Meanwhile use of buildings and space is – of course – temporary but can be a lever for a broader approach to cultural development. Opportunities are needed for regional experiences to be shared and new ideas to be tested. Just as science and tech innovation results from experimentation, the same approach can be beneficial for urban culture. There is a strong role for UoG in this process. The combination of shared vision, a vibrant cultural ‘ecosystem’ and ambitious leadership is needed. Gloucester holds these attributes amply.
In 2024, I teamed up with Nicky Marsh at the Southampton [University] Institute of Arts and Humanities. We linked our cultural research at a conference on Culture and Place organised in Bradford by the Key Cities Innovation Network. This group of universities (including UoG) supports the aims of the Key Cities Network of 26 smaller city councils. Our subsequent peer-reviewed essay was published in Urban Innovation. The volume was launched on 6th May in the House of Commons at a dinner of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Key Cities, hosted by MPs Rebecca Long-Bailey and Rebecca Smith. Speakers included Rt Hon Peter Kyle the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, and Prof Chris Smith, the executive chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council who, in quoting Derek Jarman, called on universities to cultivate ‘emotional literacy’ and ensure that research improves people’s lives. Stephen Marston, a former UoG vice-chancellor and member of the KCIN advisory board was an encouraging, familiar face.
Among these details about our research achievements, it is important to emphasise:
- Vibrancy around the arts in Gloucester is palpable, demonstrated by the recent Guildhall event to initiate Gloucester’s new cultural strategy, which will set out the City Council’s strategic approach to arts and culture for the next decade. The University can use its new anchor in the city to enhance this vibrancy and support local organisations to help the arts flourish. This should include making it easier and more attractive for arts and humanities graduates to stick around.
- CCRI’s urban cultural research was developed with diverse support. Internally from Business, Arts and Architecture: Katarina Hoerath was co-investigator and author on the meanwhile report. Externally by many others, including Birmingham University’s urban planner and former UoG staffer, Adam Sheppard, who co-authored both reports. Our publications attracted interest from academic, arts and civic networks, which we continue to support in additional explorations. UoG works best (as exemplified by CCRI) when it works with others.
- Finally, while CCRI is internationally celebrated for rural social science, reorganisation within UoG means architecture, landscape, fine arts and CCRI are now all in the same ‘school’ (academic department). This is a perfect moment to extend CCRI’s contribution to urban and cultural research networks.
European Commission: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, ECORYS and Hammonds, W., Culture and democracy, the evidence – How citizens’ participation in cultural activities enhances civic engagement, democracy and social cohesion – Lessons from international research, Publications Office of the European Union, 2023, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/39199
McCall, V. (2010). Cultural services and social policy: exploring policy makers’ perceptions of culture and social inclusion. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 18(2), 169-183. https://doi.org/10.1332/175982710×513902
Refki, D., Mishkin, K., Avci, B., & Abdelkarim, S. (2020). Using social return on investment to evaluate the public art exhibit Breathing Lights. Poetics, 79, 101401. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2019.101401
Vermeulen, M., & Maas, K. (2021). Building Legitimacy and Learning Lessons: A Framework for Cultural Organizations to Manage and Measure the Social Impact of Their Activities. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 51(2), 97-112. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2020.1851839
