Place-making Research Articles

The making of the ‘Old Town Sakon Nakhon creative district’ in Thailand: A process evaluation study of the creative placemaking agenda through festivalisation

This article looks at the creative district development process of a rural area in Thailand and sheds light on the transformative potential of utilising arts- and culture-based activities like festivals as a rural community development and regeneration strategy towards its creative placemaking agenda. Using Old Town District, Sakon Nakhon as a case study, this research investigates the application and implementation of the creative district concept outside of the usual urban centres and as a specific output of the development process. It utilises the logic model framework in evaluating the process and is further supported by interviews, focus group, observations, and document analysis in examining the various contexts surrounding its development and in analysing festivalisation as its main operational approach. Key findings highlight Thailand's political context and the selective community engagement as major barriers to the process. It also underscores the lack of authenticity and the quasi-coerced participation of the residents in the curation of the festival, reducing the locals' sense of place and belongingness instead of enriching it. This paper concludes that there is a shortfall in theory and implementation on the creative district development process of the Old Town District.

Rural idyll in a global creative city: gentrification, cultural governance and creative placemaking

ABSTRACT This paper examines the on-the-ground process of creative city making in the Global South. It highlights the role of the state in the development of creative cities in the Chinese context, with a specific focus on how the state has instrumentalized arts and culture in remaking old villages into creative space. Through a case study of a state-led development project of an artist village in Shenzhen, it is revealed that the local government has devised a myriad of localized practices and strategies to realize the project of creating a print art cluster in a rambling peri-urban environment. State-led rural gentrification is co-opted to generate an idyllic rural landscape replete with heritage houses to attract artists to settle, while cultural governance is implemented to redefine rural aesthetics and discipline creative production and artist practices in the village. Our study unravels that cultural production and placemaking are significantly shaped by a dominant state in highly contingent ways and may lead to contingent outcomes. While state-led culture-oriented gentrification is often deployed to attract investment and develop real estate, it also functions as a creative placemaking strategy to develop public cultural projects, civilize the public, and rebrand the city as a global creative hub.

Street art and place-making of villages: examples of Italian painted villages

PurposeThis study aims to discuss the contribution of street art projects to the place-making of villages and the effects it generates for local stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework is developed based on the main characteristics of the place-making process, street art, creative place-making, as well as place identity, revitalisation and regeneration. This framework defines a set of thematic categories for the qualitative content analysis of online information, e.g. websites, media and blog posts, as well as in-depth interviews with local stakeholders.FindingsThis research presents the contribution of street art in place-making involving citizens, local businesses and international artists in a collective act to preserve local identity and revitalise and regenerate villages.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is focused only on villages. Cities are not considered in the research.Practical implicationsStreet art projects provide villages with several opportunities, such as stimulating place regeneration and revitalisation, giving new shape and decoration to neighbourhoods and streets and attracting visitors and business. Moreover, street art is commonly used to communicate local history, culture, traditions and social and political facts, helping places to vehiculate their identity and their messages to the next generations. Street art is also used as a part of a place branding strategy.Social implicationsThe village gets the opportunity to exploit the street art value proposition to stimulate the restocking of the place, if the primary stakeholders of the place are ready to invest in the new place identity giving trust to the street art project.Originality/valueStreet art projects contribute to the place-making of villages. They are used to communicate place identity, fostering cooperation between local stakeholders and economic and social development.

Creative (Multilingual) Placemaking in the Classroom: Enhancing Plurilingual Children’s Language Awareness and Belonging

This study investigates the implications of engaging plurilingual children in creative multilingual placemaking practices on their language awareness and sense of belonging. Children participated in carefully designed class activities, engaging in tasks focused on reflecting on their own identities, the community’s, and the neighbourhood’s, alongside continuous research conversations. This process led to children creating multilingual placemaking design initiatives to propose changes in their schoolscape to make their school linguistically more inclusive. Through these activities, children reported that (1) they became more aware of the presence of different languages and cultures around them and (2) they became more aware of the power of language(s) in creating belonging; they argued that (3) this allowed them to acknowledge the fluidity of meanings between their L1 and L2; and they explained that (4) the project supported them in cultivating curiosity about languages and language learning. Overall, the findings suggest that creating a space for children to analyze the geographical, sociological, and linguistic aspects of their environment would impact their learning, social awareness, critical thinking, and transdisciplinary knowledge.

The spatial imaginaries of creative clusters: Examining the role of R&D programmes in creative placemaking

Creative clusters – geographic concentrations of creative industries sector activity, its skilled individuals, organisations and institutions – have attracted significant investment globally, becoming an important driver of economic growth. In this paper, we frame investment in creative clusters as a mechanism for creative placemaking. Creative placemaking occupies a dual role as a driver of economic development via arts-led ‘regeneration’ of high streets and flagship infrastructural projects like cultural quarters, yet also as a sustained stewarding of creative places through social engagement and community-centred decision-making about cultural projects. This distinction is typically framed as ‘top-down’ versus ‘bottom-up’ creative placemaking. We use the Bristol+Bath Creative R+D (BBCRD) programme as a case study to show how this distinction becomes less black and white. BBCRD created a ‘twin city’ spatial imaginary distinct from the geography of existing cultural or placemaking policy remits. The novel contribution of this paper is in how it evidences the intersecting scales of creative placemaking and unpacks the effectiveness of multi-city regionality for creative clustering, using fine-grained empirical data on the impact of top-down placemaking initiatives for the existing creative ecology of a place. This type of data and analysis is largely missing from literature on both clustering and placemaking. Given the continued international replication of the clusters model, recently renewed via ‘supercluster’ and ‘creative corridor’ discourses, we propose that an ecological understanding − that takes place specificity, relationality and scale into consideration – is pressing, and offers a route for complementarity between top-down and bottom-up creative placemaking.

National Endowment for the Arts taking grant applications for ‘creative placemaking’ projects

National Endowment for the Arts taking grant applications for ‘creative placemaking’ projects

예술가 없는 예술지구

In the process of revitalizing hateful spaces in cities, cultural urban regeneration is known to play a positive role in fundamentally renewing the old negative image of an area. While the voluntary closure of Seonmi-Village, a notable red-light district in Jeonju City, through the implementation of cultural governance, is well-documented, little attention has been given to the operations and policy implications of Seonosong Arts Village. This study thus examines the transition from Seonmi-Village to Seonosong Arts Village, employing data collection and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, including women’s rights advocates and local arts actors, with a focus on creative placemaking. As a result, it was stated that although the Women’s Rights Center’s solidarity activities with local artists in the process of publicizing women’s rights discourse showed tangible results, there was a relative lack of communication and solidarity between the actors. Furthermore, it was noted that artists tended to prioritize business endeavors over developing a comprehensive understanding of their locality. Hence, this study underscores the importance of nurturing a community of artists as local stakeholders for the sustainable implementation of cultural regeneration initiatives.

Youth-driven creative placemaking: Strategies in reshaping urban vacant space

Youth-driven creative placemaking: Strategies in reshaping urban vacant space

Gap Filler's Challenges and Trajectory by Creative Placemaking in the Wake of the Earthquake Disaster

Gap Filler's Challenges and Trajectory by Creative Placemaking in the Wake of the Earthquake Disaster

Developing a Rural Tourism Route Through the Integration of Local Stakeholders: Challenges and Opportunities for Family Farmers in Porto Seguro – Bahia (Brazil)

Summary Family farming plays a key role in global food production and economic development. Rural areas in Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil, possess a rich cultural heritage, sustainable agricultural practices, and traditional communities that have been overlooked by mainstream tourism. To unlock economic opportunities for small farmers and attract diverse tourists, the local government and university (Universidade Federal Fluminense) collaborated to enhance a rural tourism route. This case study explores the synergy among local government, the university, and residents, showcasing how it can lead to creative placemaking practices in rural tourism. The study focuses on the “Motherland of Brazil” route, a sustainable tourism option, and emphasises the importance of residents’ involvement in destination planning through family farmers’ participation. Information © The Authors 2024

Between Architecture, Story, and Place Identity: A Narrative Approach for Creative Placemaking in Museum Design

Museum architecture is required to tell a story more than just the physical building to be able to convey the knowledge and messages it carries. When architecture can be enjoyed physically and psychologically, architecture can be more memorable, easier to understand and appreciated by its users. How people value a place can be influenced by a narrative that gives character or identity to that place. Therefore, stories play a crucial role in making a place and shaping its identity. Placemaking concept has several types of approaches to transform spaces and enhance their significance. In particular, this study explored how to use narratives for creative placemaking in museum design, using a qualitative descriptive method that refers to the design process. Using narratives in architectural design has been well-known as storytelling architecture involving two techniques that are ‘storytelling as a metaphor’ and ‘storytelling through sequencing’. The results indicated that these techniques play a part in creative placemaking application which has three design principles, particularly in museum design. By incorporating storytelling techniques, architects and designers can create spaces that evoke emotions, foster connections, and enhance the overall experience of a place.

Creative Placemaking Technical Assistance Program (NEA)

Creative Placemaking Technical Assistance Program (NEA)

The Redevelopment of Ya’ahowu Park with Creative Placemaking in Gunungsitoli City

One of the elements of a city that is considered capable of supporting the quality of the environment and the quality of urban life is public open spaces. Ya'ahowu Park in the Municipality of Gunungsitoli is a public open space that serves social, cultural, and economic functions. As an area that is continually developing, issues arise due to the increasing intensity of its use as a coastal tourism destination and culinary center. The current arrangement of the site is still partial, purely aesthetic, and lacks a master plan as a guide. Therefore, if its development is not properly planned, it is feared that it may exacerbate problems and worsen the site's quality. This thesis aims to design the development of Ya'ahowu Park as a public open space for tourism, using the waterfront concept and a placemaking approach. These theories are employed because they are relevant to the physical conditions of the design site, with the hope of creating a quality and meaningful public space for its users. The focus of the development is on the waterfront redevelopment, as an effort to reorganize the waterfront area along with the facilities that can still be utilized. The previous facilities are restored and/or reactivated during the planning process, but with new roles that lean more towards public interests, with the objective of improving the environmental quality. Creative placemaking is the central approach, aiming to enliven the place, stimulate the economy, and provide a platform for creativity with local wisdom.

PEKEN BANYUMASAN EDISI TJILATJAP: TJAKRAWEDANA 1, IMPLEMENTASI KONSEP CREATIVE PLACEMAKING DI KABUPATEN CILACAP

This community service activity collaborated with various elements of academia, including Lecturers at the Cilacap State Polytechnic (PNC) and Lecturers at the Telkom Purwokerto Institute of Technology (ITTP) and industrial elements around Cilacap Regency. This activity held in a historic building, aims to form a sustainable creative ecosystem by creating creative placemaking as a platform to improve the creative industry and increase the post-pandemic economy in Cilacap Regency. The method of this activity begins with the selection of the main theme H.A.P (Heritage-Art-Pop) as part of the Tjilatjap – Tjakrawedana 1 Edition Banyumasan Peken. The results of this activity were able to collaborate with all parties who are members of B.Y.O.T Heptahelix activities, namely academics, local government, industry, entrepreneurs, media, community, and aggregators. The discussion regarding the development of creative industries in Cilacap Regency is expected to be able to boost the post-pandemic community's economy and be able to alleviate poverty. Keyword: H.A.P; Creative placemaking; Tjakrawedana; Peken Banyumasan; Cilacap Creative

Interpreting the ‘rural mural’ phenomenon: Creative place-making in rural towns in South and Mid Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand

Consistent with discussions about public art and creative place-making in processes of rural settlement regeneration, this paper reports an enquiry into the recent appearance of large outdoor murals in several rural towns in the South and Mid Canterbury regions of Te Waipounamu the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. The enquiry is part of a larger study of rural settlement regeneration in which a variety of social, cultural, environmental, and economic revitalisation initiatives designed by local people are being interpreted. With that focus, our purpose in this paper is to describe and interpret the form and content of the murals under study and the ways they are used to distinguish places and their residents. Reflecting on the existing literature, which emphasises public art as a marker of place identity that is influenced by processes of commodification, we interpret the rural mural phenomenon as a key interlinked cultural and economic element in rural regeneration. Adding a policy dimension, we also examine the possibility of linking murals into wider networks of public art across Te Waipounamu the South Island.

“CREATIVE PLACEMAKING”: A CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOSTERING SOCIAL COHESION IN COMMUNITY SPACES WITHIN RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTS

There has been research on the significance of placemaking as a process for user health and well-being and how that affects their way of life in urban planning and development. Creative placemaking, one of the most effective paradigms for making social sustainability, lacks community attributes for social cohesion in planning and design techniques for community spaces, which is the focus of the study. A conceptual model for the inclusion of the concept of creative placemaking in community open spaces to enhance social cohesion in residential environments are proposed in this study. The study employs a qualitative approach to determine the elements and indicators of creative place placemaking considering placemaking as a social process. Community open spaces in a residential neighbourhood were shown to be developing creative placemaking indicators based on theoretical Research VIZ: a) place attachment, b) connection to nature, c) sense of place, d) place memory, e) happy place mapping, and f) image and identity that altogether significantly could contribute towards effective social cohesion in these spaces.

Stories of Sustenance, Nourishment, and Feasting

This article describes community formed within the grassroots mutual aid organization Community Food Support (CFS) located on lək̓ʷəŋən territory (“Victoria, B.C.”) and explores how components of mutual aid frameworks are employed within CFS Delivery Program’s sorting space to support the building of this community. An experiential study was constructed using a feminist activist ethnographic approach to outline the crucial role of storytelling in the CFS community. Through a thematic analysis of the data, stories of place and care addressed the research questions and pointed to the importance of connection, relationships, education, sharing, and play in establishing a collective identity and sustaining the organizing space. These findings were connected to civic muscle and creative placemaking, which highlight the capacity for mutual aid efforts to promote change and actively shape social, political, and geographic space through creative and relational means.

Need for Creative Placemaking in New Development Areas: An Analysis of the Real Estate Developments of Qom, Iran

Sense of place gives meaning to the areas in which we live. Despite the importance of the sense of place in the quality of life and the success of new development areas, many new developments, especially those built as exurbs to large cities and geared towards housing for middle and lower-income people, are built without a conscious understanding and design to encourage a sense of place. While recognizing that economic and longstanding racial, religious, and other societal factors might influence the flow of capital and resources to new development areas, placemaking can provide communities with some of the tools they need to revitalize neighborhoods. This paper presents the findings of one of those places in Qom, Iran, where development was built without consulting those who would live there and, in turn, suffered the repercussions of that decision. Moreover, although some studies have acknowledged the importance of creative placemaking, limited studies have provided practical strategies to improve new development areas using this concept. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the current sense of place and propose practical strategies to enhance place quality in new development areas using creative placemaking. Through a mixed-method study, including a survey and follow-up interviews with the community’s residents, the researchers have found that a general banality exists in the Qom, which degrades the residents' sense of place. The research results show the importance of social participation, emphasizing co-produced and citizen-led creative placemaking at the beginning of the development process. As only half of the community has been developed, the findings of this research can help lead the future of real estate development and, in turn, help real estate developers design and build communities that will create a sense of belonging for residents, maintain their value and be a destination for future residents.

Whether Live or Online, Participation is Unequal: Exploring Inequality in the Cultural Participation Patterns in the United States

Cultural participation is an individual activity with relevant social dimensions. Democratic societies are concerned about the representation of social groups in cultural audiences and promote policies to increase participation focusing on planning aspects, such as in creative placemaking, or educational policies and social interventions targeted at some underrepresented social groups. Using the data derived from the 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts from the United States, we estimate generalized entropy indexes to explore the more relevant dimensions to explain divides in cultural participation across the U.S. adult population, considering geographical and sociodemographic variables. Cultural engagement is characterized by the participation by highbrow, lowbrow, passive, active, live, and digital activities. Overall, we find that spatial and racial characteristics are not the most relevant, while education appears to be the most important source to explain access inequality. The pattern of digital participation is remarkably similar to the pattern of physical participation, thus showing some evidence that the divide and stratification of cultural practices in the real world translates to digital practices.

Street art and creative place-making: urban tourism regeneration in Toronto, Canada

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss the place-making processes of street art within the context of Toronto, Canada, and potential for street art as alternative tourism to contribute to new urban tourism and encourage urban regeneration in the city.Design/methodology/approachThe study applies reflexive thematic analysis to analyse secondary data sources such as reports, maps, videos, websites, news articles and official documents alongside photographic documentation and field research.FindingsStreet art in Toronto has been found to coincide closely with processes of creative place-making. While there is some indication that municipal street art organizations and destination marketing organizations are aware of the possibilities for street art to contribute to tourism in the city, it remains an untapped resource for new urban tourism. As a component of creative place-making, it has great potential as a form of alternative tourism to regenerate a still struggling tourism economy.Originality/valueThis paper explores the nascent research area and practical application of street art as an alternative form of urban tourism in Toronto, Canada. It also fills a gap by connecting the concept of creative place-making with street art, urban regeneration and tourism specifically; a focus that needs wider attention.