The social impacts of cultural regeneration

James Kennell 28th October 2010

Who am I?

Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Regeneration

Project Manager – Economic Development Resource Centre

Programme Leader, BA (hons) Tourism Management

Cultural regeneration in the UK

A phenomenon of the last twenty years

Became widespread after 1997Tied to the restructuring of western economies

Post-industrial economic development strategy

High risk strategy based on neoliberal growth economics

Social impacts poorly managed or understood – evidence suggests exclusion is a significant issue

The decline of seaside towns

The first post-service-industrial urban areas

Globalisation from 1970s

Competition from new destinations

Growth of urban tourism

(Source: Beatty & Fothergill 2003)

Contemporary seaside regeneration

Kennell, J. (2010) ‘Rediscovering cultural tourism: cultural regeneration in seaside towns’ in Journal of Town and City Management, Vol.1, No.2

Decaying infrastructure

Low skills

Low levels of community cohesion

Low levels of central government involvement

No national strategy until March 2010

Diversity of approaches with limited success

Economic underperformance

Cultural regeneration in seaside towns

Region / Nation Dominant approach RDA / responsible body

South West Mainly economic, some physical and social SWRDA

East Midlands Social and Economic EMDA

Yorkshire Physical emphasis, some economic and social Yorkshire Forward

East of England Diverse set of programmes in place with no core focus to seaside regeneration

EEDA

North East No overarching strategic framework for seaside regeneration.

One North East

North West Mainly economic NWRDA

South East Cultural SEEDA

Wales Economic and Physical Welsh Assembly

Scotland No overarching strategic framework for seaside regeneration.

Scottish Assembly

N. Ireland No overarching strategic framework for seaside regeneration.

Northern Ireland Assembly

Social impacts

Social benefits conceived in mainly economic terms•For the country•For the region•For residents

BUT•Concerns expressed by community sector•Local hostility•Low levels of engagement•Artists vs. locals•Colonisation of space

My research methods

Policy analysis 126 documents

MargateFolkestoneWhitstable

Interviews 32 / 60

Ethnography 14 days of fieldwork

Analysis: Cultural capital (Bourdieu)

Policy and cultural regeneration agents demonstrate cultural expertise and familiarity - high levels of cultural capital

Widespread belief in the ‘power’ of culture

Education

Inspiration

Aspiration

Lack of interest in mechanisms

Focus on consumption over participation

Creation of cultural industries with high barriers to entry to replace tourism industries with low barriers to entry

Problems with education, employment and cohesion associated with lack of cultural capital

Explains lack of resident engagement and predicts creation of tension

Culture, Class, Distinction

Bennett, T. et al (2010) Culture, Class, Distinction, London: Routledge

Representative, quantitative study of cultural capital in the UK

Cultural omnivorousness has democratised certain forms of cultural consumption – but mainly in the higher social groups

Most important cultural markers of division are now based on participation

Music lessons Access to technologyMarginalisation of creative curricula in state education

How can cultural regeneration improve social outcomes?

Strategies that focus on participation

Audience development

Education projects

Experiential art

Site specific work

Events, not installations

Lowering barriers to participation can drive engagement and allow culture to assist with skills development, education, health and employment