Culture and Regeneration: An evaluation of the evidence

Culture and
Regeneration
An evaluation of the evidence
A study by
October 2004

Culture and Regeneration:
Contents
1 Preface .........................................................................................1
2 Introduction ..................................................................................2
3 Summary......................................................................................3
4 Definitions.....................................................................................4
5 The question of evidence ................................................................6
6 Assessing the evidence...................................................................8
6.1 Culture and economic regeneration............................................8
6.2 Culture and social regeneration ...............................................23
6.3 Culture and environmental regeneration...................................30
7 Capturing the flying fact ...............................................................34
8 Conclusions.................................................................................35
9 Bibliography ................................................................................36
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October 2004 Fred Brookes
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COMEDIA Culture and Regeneration: An evaluation of the evidence 1
Culture and Regeneration:
1 Preface
Culture and Regeneration looks at the evidence for the value of culture in
contributing to social, environmental and economic regeneration. Its
purpose is to present a judgement of the available evidence of the
regenerative impact of cultural facilities, projects and activities.
It is directed to those concerned with urban and rural development and
stakeholders in regeneration in the East Midlands, and to cultural
organisations seeking to support regeneration objectives through their
work.
This document summarizes a considered view on the available evidence
and has tried to limit the number of references by pointing to a number of
major literature reviews and studies. A separate fuller document
Evidencing the Value of Culture in the Regeneration Context: A report and
literature review (Comedia 2004) includes an extensive review of the
literature and linked studies, a specially commissioned review of the
evidence in relation to sport, a study of the kinds of evidence which
influence regional stakeholders, and a bibliography. A third paper,
Regeneration and the Cultural Consortium (Comedia 2004), is addressed
to Culture East Midlands itself and suggests actions which CEM might itself
be able to take to assist cultural organisations and regeneration bodies to
work more effectively together at the regional level.

2 Introduction
There is evidence that culture benefits regeneration, though the evidence
is of different kinds. That listed office buildings deliver a better financial
return than unlisted ones is a statistical fact. That schoolchildren learn
better if they are exposed to the arts is well demonstrated. That some
major sporting events, though not all, have been able to lead regeneration
programmes much bigger than the events themselves, has been shown
around the world. That the values of property in areas which have
declined begins to rise once artists move in has been seen in so many
places that it is becoming a developers’ marketing ploy. That companies
which use design effectively have out-performed their peers in producing
shareholder value over a ten year period is a robust statistic, but may owe
as much to good management as to good design. That so many cities in
America are working along the lines set out by Richard Florida’s
identification of the creative class and its benefits, suggests there must be
something in it. That arts, sports, cultural and recreational activity can
contribute to neighbourhood renewal and make a real difference to health,
crime, employment and education in deprived communities, as the Social
Exclusion Unit concluded, seems a truism. That sporting and artistic
activity in villages and market towns strengthens community solidarity
and active citizenship looks like common sense.
The spectrum of evidence ranges from statistical fact to common sense,
and so it should. The object of this study is to support the practical
implementation of regeneration programmes. Contentious assertions of
the value of culture in that context need to be examined and
substantiated by research and statistical evidence. Otherwise, they will be
sidelined and opportunities, both from the cultural and the regeneration
perspective, will be lost. On the other hand there is not so much point in
launching research programmes to produce statements of the obvious.
Better just to get on with the job.
The evidence-led, output-driven culture of public sector engagement in
regeneration is firmly established, and, albeit at some risk of proving what
everybody already knows, the cultural sector has to equip itself to play
the game. It has indeed already done so to a significant extent, as this
review witnesses. There is evidence that culture benefits regeneration in a
wide variety of ways. But some pieces of evidence are better than others,
and there are gaps and weaknesses, particularly at the level of the region.
Alongside its presentation of evidence which seems both robust and
relevant, this report also makes some proposals for local action on ways in
which the evidence base can be improved.
This review aims to be both an introduction and a guidebook: useful to
those involved with the regeneration of cities, towns and rural areas,
engaged with economic, social and environmental issues; helpful both to
those with some experience of using culture to achieve regeneration
goals, and to those who find the whole thing a bit far-fetched; and
valuable to those in the field of culture who are looking for information to
back up their propositions.

3 Summary
The crucial ingredients for creating positive impacts for culture in
economic, social and environmental regeneration, whether through a
facility or an activity, remain good quality work appropriate to need and
purpose, and fine judgement.
Evidence gathering on the impact of culture is a rapidly growing field,
although so far it has not specially focused on comprehensive
regeneration effects. Since the first work 20 years ago substantial,
cumulative, piecemeal, scattered and positive evidence has been
accumulated. This evidence has some weight and some is longitudinal,
rigorous and persuasive.
The process of evidence gathering started with economic, tourism, image,
physical impact studies or the size of the creative industries; the impact of
heritage or museums; the effect of specific social arts projects; the effect
of participation in the arts on learning and the value of participation in
sport and sports events. Much of the work was based on case studies.
While a decade or two ago claims were sometimes exaggerated, more
recent studies go beyond the anecdotal and stand up to critical scrutiny.
This review examines a broad scope of evidence of different kinds in three
aspects of regeneration, economic, social and environmental. It concludes
that, while there are many significant gaps, there is a substantial and
diverse body of evidence that a wide range of cultural activities positively
add value to regeneration initiatives.
The review considers the growing range of methodologies to test out the
validity of some claims of the value of culture in regeneration, and
identifies a substantial number of independent studies which provide
defensible evidence. The evaluation of the effects of culture in
regeneration is imperfect, as it is in other fields, but there is a great deal
of work which suggests that, with care and good judgement, advantages
can be gained.
To strengthen arguments for culture in regeneration the next stage of
evaluation should focus on three questions: distinguish between the
numerical impact and its felt importance; assess what the conditions are
under which projects work; identify what are the regenerative
characteristics of specific forms of cultural activity.
In the end appropriateness to purpose, need and quality define the nature
of the impact of culture. That whatever is done, is done well remains the
crux of the matter.

4 Definitions
Regeneration is the physical, social and economic renewal of a place and
its people measured by indicators such as environmental improvement, a
sense of self and pride of place and community and greater prospects for
prosperity and well-being.
In discussing culture and regeneration frequently used terms include
culture, the arts, sport, the creative industries or economy, the cultural
industries, cultural quarters, the creative class and the creative city.
The DCMS defines culture as:
• visual and performing arts (e.g. painting, sculpture, photography,
crafts, theatre, dance, opera, live music);
• audio-visual (including film, TV and radio);
• architecture and design;
• heritage and the historic environment;
• libraries and literature;
• museums, galleries and archives;
• and tourism, as it relates to the above.
Used in the regeneration context, culture is often thought of as using
cultural resources, such as the arts, sport, food, visitor attractions and
faith, to shift patterns of behaviour and mobilise potential in order to
achieve economic, social and environmental goals. In this study the terms
‘culture’ and ‘cultural’ are used to embrace the use of all kinds of cultural
resources in this way. The range of more closely defined terms used in the
study is as follows.
The arts are an expression of culture including forms such as painting,
performing, singing and writing. They include the refined, the amateur,
community based activities and their commercial expressions. The term as
used here includes the activities as well as the institutions that promote
the arts, such as museums, libraries, theatres, galleries or cinemas.
Sport is used here in the sense defined by Sport England, which makes
reference to a list of eligible sporting activities (reviewed from time to
time) derived from an assessment of the extent to which each activity
meets a comprehensive set of criteria, including physical skills and effort,
accessibility to the community, essential purpose, strategy and tactics,
physical challenge and risk. The Council of Europe definition of sport is
also useful: ‘all forms of physical activity which, through casual or
organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness
and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in
competition at all levels’.
The term creative industries is used here to describe those industries
which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and have a
potential for wealth and job creation by generating and exploiting
intellectual property. They range from music to crafts and include areas
such as art, design, media, broadcasting, film and fashion. In the term
creative economy they also include ideas workers and researchers as in
software development or scientific research. The creative economy is the

economic contribution of these industries including their share of Gross
Value Added, exports, capital formation and investment, employment and
associated taxation.
The cultural industries is a wider term embracing the creative industries
together with the industries of sport, tourism, the heritage industry and
some aspects of environment including the cultural use of land and water.
Similarly the term cultural economy includes the economic dimension of
this wider group of activities.
Cultural quarter is a designation which has become popular over the last
two decades to describe an urban area within a town or city which has, or
is planned to have, a concentration of cultural (usually arts) facilities,
creative industry businesses, public realm developments such as artworks
or streetscape improvements, together with cafes, bars, restaurants and
speciality retail.
The ‘creative city’ is a description of a place where the conditions exist for
the wider community and business to think, plan and act with imagination.
Creativity lies at the core of culture and the other terms used. The 1999
NACCCE report on creative education1
defines creativity as:
Imaginative activity fashioned so as to produce outcomes that are
both original and of value.
1
National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education: All Our Futures:
Creativity, Culture and Education: Report to the Secretary of State for Education and
Employment and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, May 1999

5 The question of evidence
Evidence is what shows something to be the case. There is no single
benchmark as to what constitutes evidence or levels of proof. Depending
on the issue at hand or how it was obtained, evidence varies greatly in
strength. Evidence is not always numerical, although often the qualitative
is quantified as when surveys are statistically analysed. Impacts can
sometimes be assessed by monitorable facts, such as the increase in the
number of jobs, or changes in how people feel about a place after a
cultural intervention. As in the natural sciences evidence builds
cumulatively through analysing phenomena repeatedly in different
contexts. When the weight of different findings point in the same direction
conclusions are held to be true in the context of existing knowledge, even
though the causal links are not always demonstrable. In a number of
areas this accumulated knowledge has become common sense, because
observation shows it repeats itself. Advocacy for culture in regeneration
now tends to take a more moderate and cautious approach than in the
past2
.
Agencies differ in the levels of proof they require and some kinds of
evidence are more effective in some quarters than others. Public sector
economically-driven organisations demand the greatest level of
econometrically consistent data. Judgement and experience have a lower
level of credibility. Social agencies tend to be more satisfied with
replicated case study data. Private sector organizations involved in urban
development tend to combine judgement, experience with evidence of the
direction of trends, especially property price changes, yield profiles and
possible returns on capital. Recognition of trends is important as by the
time post hoc studies appear the commercial opportunity would have
disappeared. Nevertheless with the development of evidence-based
policy-making, increasingly the views of experts or peer groups count
relatively less.
Predominantly, cultural research across the board has tended to focus
more strongly on urban settings than rural areas, and this review reflects
that bias, which has several causes. The historic linkage between cities
and culture in the development of civilisation, the fact that most
universities are located in urban settings, and the common perception
among policy-makers that social and economic problems are an urban
issue, are just three of them.
There is substantial, cumulative, piecemeal, scattered evidence
accumulated over more than 20 years on aspects of culture’s impact. It
includes economic, tourism, image, physical impacts or the size of the
creative industries; the impact of heritage; the effect of specific social arts
projects; the effect of participation in the arts on learning and the value of
participation in sport and sports events. Often starting with exaggerated
claims, a decade or two ago, these studies have toned down their claims
substantially.
2
Using ‘Economic’ Impact Studies in Arts and Cultural Advocacy: A Cautionary Note,
Madden, C, fuel4arts.com: 2001, www.fuel4arts.com

There is a good deal of consensus among researchers about the gaps and
weaknesses in the evidence base. A recent study for the Scottish
Executive3
of the evidence base for cultural policy identifies fifteen areas
where gaps in research exist.
Data collection
Longitudinal studies
Under-represented groups
Well-being and Quality of Life
Physical activity
Arts and Prisons
Arts and Health
Creativity in Education
Employment
Art as itself
Monitoring and Evaluation
Combined Social/Economic Impact Evaluation
Major Events
Dissemination of information
Partnership Working
Evaluation has reached a critical juncture. Isolated case study work is fine
as far as it goes and the increasing body of literature reviews undertaken
describe its value and limitations4
. The task is now to create more
comparative long term work.
3
A Literature Review of the Evidence Base for Culture, the Arts and Sport Policy, Janet
Ruiz, Information, Analysis & Communication Division, Scottish Executive, 2004
4
The Council for Museums, Libraries and Archives (MLA) is currently carrying out a review
of research in its areas of interest since 1997 related to:
Cultural diversity
Health, with a particular focus on mental health
Community cohesion, and related community agendas such as Active Communities and
Civil Renewal
Social inclusion
Neighbourhood renewal.

6 Assessing the evidence
This section assesses the evidence for culture in three areas of
regeneration impact, economic, social and environmental.
6.1 Culture and economic regeneration
It is now generally possible to quantify economic impacts of culture on
regeneration and some research has produced time series data. In a
review in 1993 Anthony Radich5
already identified 200 economic impact
studies of the arts alone. Though substantial some evidence is scattered
across professions, such as the tourism industry, estate agencies or the
economic development community.
i The arts
The field of arts economics was charted in 1966 following the seminal
work by Baumol and Bowen in Performing Arts: the anatomy of their
economic problems6
; in 1973 the Journal of Cultural Economy was
founded and the Association for Cultural Economics in 1979. In relation to
the impact of arts, heritage and creative industries the gathering of
evidence has gone through phases. The influential New York Port
Authority’s 1983 study The Arts as an Industry7
was one of the first to
measure economic impact. Its message was simple: ‘The arts are an
important industry throughout the State of New York. This industry is
growing and it is helping other industries such as tourism, to grow’. This
was followed in the UK in 1985 by Myerscough’s The Economic Importance
of the Arts8
, which reached similar conclusions. This generated a mini-
industry around the globe with especially cities and festivals assessing
impact from Kansas, to Cleveland, from Salzburg to Edinburgh, from
Birmingham to Sydney.
Whilst there have been vigorous debates on the veracity of some studies,
exaggerated claims (which have now largely been moderated), their use
of multipliers or double counting it is clear that the arts have an economic
impact. The only question is the degree.
ii Sport
Research in sport has followed a similar trajectory to that of the arts with
both a dedicated Journal of Sports Economics and Association of Sports
Economists having been founded in the late 1990’s, signalling the
increasing rigour of analysis. Identifying the overall contribution of sport
to the economy has been a significant preoccupation since the late 1980s,
at the European, UK, Home Nations and regional level (see Ian Henry’s
5
Twenty Years of Economic Impact Studies of the Arts: A Review Radich, Anthony J.
(1993), National Endowment for the Arts, Washington DC
6
On the Performing Arts: the anatomy of their economic problems, W Baumol and W.G.
Bowen, 1965, AER
7
The Arts as an Industry: Their Economic Importance to the NY-NJ Metropolitan Region.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Cultural Assistance Center, 1983
8
Myerscough , John. The Economic Importance of the Arts in Britain, Policy Studies
Institute, 1988

review in the supplementary report Evidencing the Value of Culture in the
Regeneration Context9
).
Studies have tended to focus on the economic value of sport rather than
evaluating its potential for regeneration. The impact of individual sports
events has been the focus of considerable attention but the long term
regenerative capacity of such investment is under-evaluated in the sports
literature. The economic impact of major events has to date not been
undertaken in the region with the exception of a study of the impact of
the 2002 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. This study concluded that the
major economic impacts of the event were:
Total expenditure of £34.7 million directly attributable to the event;
Employment totalling 1,148 FTE jobs in the UK, of which 403 were within
the geographical region of the study;
Income of £17.2 million within the UK as a whole, of which £5.6 million
directly benefits the study region.
Despite the lack of detailed analysis to provide evidence of the role of
sport in urban regeneration, it is clear that sport forms a key element in
the thinking of commercial developers in many schemes. Many examples
based around the development or re-development of football stadia came
about after the second Taylor Report in 1990 set new standards for safety,
including Derby’s Pride Park development, Middlesbrough’s Riverside
Stadium, and the Chelsea Village development. In addition many of the
elements of the impacts of sports investment such as increased local
pride, enhanced image of the area, and service sector investment in
facilities such as the hotel and restaurant sector are to an extent ‘visible’
even if their direct relationship to employment, inward investment and
sports tourism are not fully evaluated.
Some US stadium investments return negative accumulated net present
values10
. In the British context facilities belong to professional sports clubs
and designs are both multi-purpose and intended to generate symbolic
value. This is an under-researched area in the UK. Lack of detailed
evidence of impacts may invite scepticism, but should not be taken as
equivalent to the demonstrated lack of impact.
The use of sport, and particularly major sporting events, as a vehicle to
foster urban re-development is a growing phenomenon. The mega-event
par excellence in terms of exposure for a city is the Olympic Games.
Perhaps one of the best known and evaluated ‘success stories’ of recent
years is that of the Barcelona Games which is deemed to have enhanced
the city’s social11
, economic12
and symbolic13
capital in significant ways.
9
Evidencing the Value of Culture in the Regeneration Context: A report and literature
review, Comedia for CEM 2004
10
The Sports Stadium as a Municipal Investment, Baim, Dean V. Greenwood Publishing
Group (1994)
11
The city, democracy and governability: The case of Barcelona, J. Borja, 1996,
International Social Science Journal 48(1)
12
Pre-Olympic and post-Olympic Barcelona, a 'model' for urban regeneration today?
Garcia-Ramon MD and Albet A, Environment and Planning A 2000
13
Freedom for Catalonia? Catalan Nationalism, Spanish Identity and the Barcelona Olympic
Games. Hargreaves, J. Cambridge University Press 2000

There are indications that the impact of Sydney is similar. However,
others such as Atlanta have not been so positive. It is too soon to
evaluate the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, although initial results
are promising14
.
More directly relevant to the East Midlands context, recent research
commissioned by emda reveals that sport and sports-related businesses,
industries and employment are very significant to the economy of the East
Midlands15
. Sport, not including professional clubs:
1. Accounts for 46,775 jobs (approximately 2.4% of the overall number)
in the East Midlands (England 2.6%).
2. Sport accounts for 2.28% of the East Midlands regional economy,
contributing around £1,421million to the total gross value added (GVA)
compared with sport’s contribution of 2.42% to England’s GVA.
3. Of the 3,625 sports related businesses and companies classified by size
(because of the nature of the classification, this figure excludes
coaches, elite athletes, individual SDOs and administrators), 79.6%
have ten or fewer employees. Less than one percent has over 200
employees.
4. An above average proportion of companies within the region employ
between 10-199 people (East Midlands; 16.8%: UK 16%). This is more
pronounced for sports businesses at 19.9%.
The key elements of the sports industry that have been identified in this
report as having the greatest economic growth potential for the East
Midlands economy are:
• Loughborough, performance sport, research and innovation.
• Professional sports clubs and venues.
• Provision and integration of business support services for the sports
industry.
• The contribution of sport to the marketing, branding and tourism offer
of the region.
Sport has potentially a greater part to play in the economy. If England
achieves the Government’s target of 70 percent participation in sport and
physical activity by 2020, it is estimated16
there would be, among other
benefits to taxation income and health, a doubling of employment in
sport, a doubling of consumers’ expenditure. The East Midlands might
reasonably expect a share of these benefits.
Relevant to the East Midlands context are evaluations of the effects of
smaller-scale international sport events, such as the World Half Marathon
14
The Impact of the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games, Cambridge Policy
Consultants for Manchester City Council 2002
15
The Economic Impact of Sport in the East Midlands, KPP and York Consulting, emda
2004
16
The impact of achieving Sport England’s target for making England an active nation by
2020, Sport Industry Research Centre, Sheffield, Sport England 2004

Championships in Bristol in 200117
and the World Indoor Athletics
Championships in Birmingham in 200318
have shown their substantial
capacity to contribute economically, and also in more intangible ways to
identity and international profile.
Research into the effectiveness of sport in regeneration of rural areas is
relatively rare. An Australian study in 200119
examined how sport and
recreation clubs contribute to social capital, an important concept in rural
regeneration. It was found that social capital is developed through the
leadership, membership, participation, skill development and community
development work which clubs provide, and through creation of
community hubs and key social places. Sport and recreation clubs in rural
areas were found to assist health improvement and promotion, maintain
cultural values and assist economic development and town survival via
sports events and festivals.
The work of sports clubs was found to support environmental and physical
development through facilities, spaces and landscape preservation, to aid
community safety and to develop community investment by creating a
local sense of control.
iii The creative industries
The second phase of evidence gathering focused on measuring the
creative industries, including the media sector. Perhaps the first were a
number of studies undertaken by Comedia in 1989 in the North-West, Hull
and Coventry, in 1990 in Barcelona and in 1991 in Glasgow. The
conclusions of this kind of work has been less contentious as it is
essentially a counting exercise. What has dogged the debate are issues of
definition (what precisely are the creative industries?), thus what should
be included and the difficulty of data gathering as Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) codes do not mirror this sub-set of the economy.
Subsequently rafts of studies have been undertaken (with over 60 in the
UK alone) including the European Union. The most thorough analysis of
the creative industries is the long term tracking of the situation in Nord-
Rhein Westfalen undertaken four times since the early 1990’s by StadtArt.
In 2001 Kulturdokumentation led the team that undertook the European
Union study ‘Exploitation and Development of the Job Potential in the
Cultural Sector in the Age of Digitalisation’20
. It also produced a similar
study for Vienna.
There is compelling evidence that the creative industries and the creative
economy have grown at a faster pace than most other industries in the
UK, Europe and world-wide. They stand shoulder to shoulder with the
other large growth sectors: financial services, IT, tourism and the bio-
sciences. Importantly the creative industries have spin-offs that the other
sectors do not have. They deal in imagery and symbols and so shape the
17
World Half Marathon Championships Economic Impact Study, UK Sport 2002
18
World Indoor Athletics Championships Economic Impact Study, DTZ Pieda for UK Sport
19
Sporting capital: changes and challenges for rural communities in Victoria, Driscoll, K
and Wood, L, Victoria: Centre for Applied Social Research, RMIT; 1999
20
Exploitation and Development of the Job Potential in the Cultural Sector in the Age of
Digitalisation Kulturdokumentation et. al. 2001

perception of the places where they were made. World-wide it is
estimated that are over 120 studies of this type. The official estimates of
UK economic contribution, employment and growth rates are given in the
DCMS Creative Industries Economic Estimates Statistical Bulletin21
.
Headlines are:
• The Creative Industries accounted for 8% of UK Gross Value Added
(GVA) in 2002 (this compares with Transport, storage and
communication 8.4%, and Health and social work 6.8%22
).
• The Creative Industries grew by an average of 6% per annum between
1997 and 2002 compared to an average of 3% for the whole of the
economy over this period.
• In the summer quarter of 2003, creative employment totalled 1.9
million jobs in Great Britain.
• Total GB creative employment increased from 1.5m in 1995 to 1.9m in
2003. Over the period 1997-2003, employment in the creative
industries grew at a rate of 3% per annum, compared to 1% for the
whole of the economy.
Most creative industries economic studies have been undertaken on behalf
of a city or city-region. In contrast Comedia’s recent study in Leicester,
Leicestershire and Welland23
distinguishes the specific contribution of the
creative industries in the rural and urban areas, and demonstrates the
economic impact and employment effect, though as a snapshot it does not
deal directly with longer-term regeneration effects.
A particularly relevant initiative in a wholly rural area is Creative
Industries in Herefordshire24
, which began in 2002. This is an ambitious,
multi-stranded programme which has broken new ground. Up to now,
almost all creative industries development work has been focused in urban
areas, based on the concept of cluster development. CIH has created a
distinctive approach appropriate to a rural area, based on networks. At its
mid-term point, the 3-year programme had achieved a great deal and
been well received by its target constituency. It is being seen favourably
by both the regeneration agencies and the regional agencies with
responsibility for the creative sector. While the examination of its ultimate
impact on the prosperity of creative businesses in the county must wait
for its full effects to be felt, it can be concluded at this point that the
enterprise has produced direct benefits to creative practitioners, made
good progress towards its overall regeneration objectives, proved the
concept of the programme, refined its implementation and laid the
foundation for further development in future.
iv Libraries
In a 2001 study for the Centre for Leisure Research at Edinburgh
21
DCMS Creative Industries Economic Estimates Statistical Bulletin August 2004
22
ONS 2002 data
23
Creative Industries in Leicester, Leicestershire and Welland, Comedia 2004 for Business
Link Leicestershire
24
Creative Industries in Herefordshire: Mid-term Evaluation Report, Fred Brookes,
Herefordshire Council, 2004

University25
, Fred Coalter quotes Linley and Usherwood (1998) in
concluding that the potential economic impact of libraries includes:
• A resource for new start-ups and other small businesses, especially if
delivered in collaboration with partner organisations who increase
awareness of what is available.
• An important source of information for those seeking jobs and training
opportunities.
• In small towns and villages the library can support economic vitality,
by attracting users who then use local shops and services.
• Libraries have the potential to make some economic impact, both
direct and indirect, although this will vary widely between locations and
will depend on the available of alternative organisations and sources of
such support.
v Artists and former industrial buildings
There is a recognizable and often-replicated cycle of artists and other
cultural and creative workers moving into former industrial buildings,
often in urban settings but also in rural and agricultural contexts. This
movement triggers a physical regeneration process and increased
property values. Creatives move in attracted by the historic fabric and/or
low rents. Over time these become more upscale offices or residential
apartments. The property development community frequently encourages
the arts community to be first movers. For example, SoHo in New York is
clearly a vibrant hub that is part of the city’s attractiveness. That process
of renewal beginning in the early 1980’s was triggered when the local
property development community specifically encouraged artists to occupy
empty lofts as a means of attracting attention to the area as a liveable
place in order to increase property values, which then made development
possible26
. This process has been described and analysed in numerous
cases, including Temple Bar in Dublin27
, the Lace Market in Nottingham28
,
the Northern Quarter in Manchester29
, the Cable Factory in Helsinki30
, the
Queen Street district in Toronto31
. There are, it is estimated, 150 written
up examples of this process world-wide. These areas are often designated
as cultural quarters. The announcement of the designation of Leicester’s
cultural quarter in St. George’s was seen locally to increase speculative
buying of property so raising values.
vi Cultural quarters
Cultural quarter has become a generic term to designate any area with a
cluster of cultural activities or institutions. In England alone there were 35
25
Realising the Potential of Cultural Services: The Case for Libraries, Research Briefing
12.1, Fred Coalter, Centre for Leisure Research at the University of Edinburgh 2001
26
Loft Living: Culture and Capital in Urban Change, S Zukin Rutgers University Press 1989
27
The Story of Temple Bar: Creating Dublin’s Cultural Quarter, Montgomery J, Planning
Practice and Research 10:2 (1995)
28
Greater Nottingham Cultural Audit and The Lacemarket Cultural Quarter Audit, C Mercer,
Cultural Policy and Planning Research Unit, Nottingham Trent University 2001/2
29
The Cultural Production Sector in Manchester - Research & Strategy (MIPC), 1999
30
Kappeli, L Måkela, Helsinki Urban Facts 1999
31
Beyond Anecdotal Evidence: The Spillover Effects Of Invesments in Cultural Facilities,
Ken Jones, Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity, Ryerson University, Toronto

at the last count, whose contexts and aims differ so substantially that
comparison is difficult. At one extreme they can be a collection of
museums and galleries, such as Bedford, focused on visitation and at the
other a formerly declining area with industrial structures that has been
taken over by the creative industries, such as Sheffield. Not one of the
designated cultural quarters in the England is newly-built, all have
substantial historic fabric. The initial batch of historic cultural quarters,
such as Digbeth or Tower Hamlets have exceeded expectations to an
extent that the gentrification process has pushed out their instigators. In
effect ‘cultural quarter’ is increasingly becoming a branding device for
property developers as a means of increasing value through the
association with artistic licence, hip and vitality. This is strong evidence for
its effectiveness. A well known example is in Fort Point Boston, where the
developer of Channel Center, a large cluster of 25 historic warehouses,
gave the local arts community three substantial buildings for a $1 each
and now brands the location as ‘The art of living, the art of work, the art
of experience’ suggesting that a cultural milieu affects the dynamics of
property development. A question raised is whether the areas, given their
historic texture, would have regenerated anyway.
Sheffield’s quarter is the only known example of having analysed its
impact and shown a public/private leverage ratio of 3 to 132
.
vii Cultural facilities
Large sports facilities, for example football stadia, do not usually have the
effect of stimulating the development of high-value residential
accommodation. They are usually further out of city centres and are too
dominating with acres of carparking that are not conducive to urban
development. The Commonwealth Games facilities in Manchester are a
case in point. Where facilities are more integrated into the urban fabric
they can have a regenerative impact as with the now celebrated example
of Washington D.C.’s MCI indoor stadium on 7th
St. whose increased
footfall gave people the confidence to re-enter this part of downtown and
in the process led to the revival of the city’s Chinatown.
Not all scholars are convinced of the value of large-scale sports and other
cultural facility development, considering that the job-creation which
results is expensive and jobs are low-paid and often temporary. A review
of critical opinion can be found in Cities in Denial33
.
Major investment in cultural facilities creates confidence and tends to
generate or at least heat up a cycle of wider physical regeneration, which
at times is speculative. This is because passing trade and overall traffic
increases. This is usually true even when the facility is deemed to have
failed in terms of content, for example Urbis in Manchester34
or the Centre
32
Brave or Foolish? Sheffield’s Cultural Industries Quarter 20 years on, Linda Moss,
Sheffield Hallam University, presented at the Second International Conference on Cultural
Policy Research 2002 Wellington, New Zealand
33
Cities in Denial: The False Promise of Subsidized Tourist and Entertainment Complexes,
R D. Utt, The Heritage Foundation (USA) 1998
34
UK tourism: What’s going on? David Geddes, Locum Destination Consulting seminar
paper, 2003

for Visual Arts in Cardiff35
. Cultural facilities which are well judged, well
designed and of high quality content have greater regeneration impact
and become a destination, good examples of which are the Eden Project36
,
Tate St. Ives and the south bank of the Tyne in Gateshead37
, all of which
created markets that did not previously exist. The better cultural facilities
generate higher property values and a lively social life which can be
double-edged sword. In St Ives the effect has been to drive up property
values to an extent that local people are priced out of the housing market.
By contrast cultural developments in Gateshead have developed a market
that did not previously exist, not only for culture but also for housing in
what was formerly a wholly industrial area.
Large scale facilities, such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao38
have used the
major accountancy firms to identify impact, which in their case identifies
the obvious fact that the museum has put Bilbao on the map, increased
tourism and caused property prices to rise dramatically in the vicinity of
the museum.
viii The economic value of heritage
The economic value of cultural heritage is well documented. For example
property prices in designated conservation areas outstrip undesignated
areas. The investment performance of listed office buildings monitored for
over a decade by the RICS Foundation and IPD on behalf of English
Heritage39
reveal that in spite of extra maintenance costs total return
(growth in rental income and capital appreciation) since 1981 has on a
year by year basis been greater than that for unlisted buildings, with
annualised returns of 9.7% per annum compared with 9.4%. Their only
period of underperformance was between 1990-1992 during the property
crash.
ix Inward investment
The influence of cultural facilities on the location decision-making of
inward investors is that cultural provision is a “soft” location factor and
“hard” cost-related factors still dominate the location decision process –
even in today’s knowledge economy. “Soft” considerations are more
important for particular types of inward investment project, where the
attraction and retention of high-skilled people is important. The “soft”
considerations are not a driver in location selection per se (except when
the project is a creative industries project) but can impact on the decision
after the “hard” factors have been addressed. Arts, sports and other
cultural factors are often used as a tie-breaker where there is little to
35
Built to Last: The new generation of creative arts projects Richard Tibbott, Locum
Destination Review, 2001
36
The Economic Impact Of The Eden Project, Andrew Jasper and Geoff Broom Associates,
Eden Project, 2002
37
Cultural impact: Measuring the economic effects of culture, Daniel Anderson and John
Nurick, Locum Destination Review, 2002
38
Evaluating the Influence of a Large Cultural Artifact in the Attraction of Tourism: The
Guggenhiem Museum Bilbao Case, Beatriz Plaza, Urban Affairs Review Vol 36 No 2,
November 2000
39
The Investment Performance of Listed Office Buildings 2002, Investment Property
Databank for Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Foundation and English Heritage

choose between several locations, and can therefore be termed “must-
have” factors for locations aiming to attract and retain high skilled
personnel (when quality of life/quality of place is an issue). A Comedia
survey40
found that with the emphasis on “hard” factors in a commercial
environment, it is unlikely that a decision-maker will admit to being
influenced by “soft” factors such as arts and sports provision as they
cannot quantify this to other decision-makers and stakeholders.
x New business creation
Facilities generate downstream supply services especially within the
hospitality sector from hotels to restaurants and bars. For example,
without the Albert Dock, Eden or Belfast Opera House the associated
hospitality developments would not have happened. Indeed the night time
economy of pubs and bars is increasingly clustering in those areas defined
as cultural quarters, with some exceptions such as Sheffield with its
production focus. Many of these jobs are lower skilled. Whether all of
these are net new jobs in the total economy is unclear. More likely there is
some displacement from weaker areas, such as towns and cities less well
provided with sports, arts or leisure attractions.
An important question is the extent to which income comes from overseas
visitors. Whilst tourism markets have been suffering after foot and mouth
and 9/11 the primary reason for non-business trips is culture and the arts.
‘They come for the castles, the culture, the landscape, the heritage’
evidenced by the top 20 places visited by overseas tourists, which are
cultural centres, such as Edinburgh, Bath and York. This sustains much of
the tourism industry, which accounts for 1.5million out of 26 million jobs.
The UK remains the fifth most popular holiday destination in the world -
after the US, Italy, France and Spain - and attracts £16bn in foreign
exchange each year, 6% of GDP41
. Hay on Wye with its bookshops and
literary festival is an example of where the balance between domestic and
foreign visitors has shifted.
xi Cultural employment
Using Richard Florida’s creative class definition, International Labour
Organisation figures for employment in creative occupations as a
percentage of total employment in 2000 showed the UK ranked fourth of
14 EU states, after Belgium, Netherlands and Finland, with almost 27%
(ILO, LABORSTA Labour Statistics Database). Across the EU, the growth
rate in employment in recreational, cultural and sporting activities 1995-
99 has been three times that of employment overall. There are wide
variations among the EU member states with Italy, Finland, Portugal and
Germany being at the top, and the United Kingdom, France, and Austria
at the lower end (Eurostat).
At the national level, in England in 2000 sport-related activity accounted
for 400,000 FTE jobs, just under 2% of all employment (up from 1.5% in
1998) and generated £9.8bn in value added representing approximately
40
Harnessing and Exploiting the Power of Culture for Competitive Advantage Landry,
Charles and Wood, Phil, Comedia 2002, for the UK Core Cities Group
41
UK Tourism data, various authors.

1.5% of the total for England42
. Initial evaluations of the impact of the
Commonwealth Games on Manchester43
have identified a range of
potentially long term benefits, economic, sporting, social, environmental
and organisational. Among the claims made for the impact of the Games
were that they helped “Manchester to secure more than £600 million of
public and private investment, … generate 6,100 full-time-equivalent jobs
- an achievement comparable to the successful Olympics hosted by
Sydney in 2000 and Barcelona in 1992 [and that] every year from now
on, an extra 300,000 visitors will spend an extra £12 million in the region”
xii Tourism impact
Just over one third of the UK population (37%) has visited a museum
and/or an art gallery in the past 12 months44
. This is less popular than
visiting a cinema (59%) or library (51%) and matches the proportion that
has visited a well-known park or garden.
Museum/gallery visiting is more popular than going to a famous cathedral
or church, the theatre, opera or ballet, or a stately home, castle or palace.
Around a quarter have visited a live sporting event, a zoo, wildlife park or
reserve, or a theme park.
Of the mass of studies that have analysed the tourism impact of arts,
sport and other cultural events, the work on the Edinburgh Festival (three
studies since 1976) and Sheffield’s World Snooker Championships are
worthy of highlighting. Consistency over a long period is the key, the
identification with a tight programming focus and enlarging the
programme only once core elements have been settled. This tends to
increase impact. The net tangible economic benefit is not automatic.
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao offers an opportunity to evaluate the
impact on tourism of a major cultural development in a place which
previously had little leisure tourism activity. A statistical study in 200045
,
having allowed for the effect of other factors, was able to identify the
tourism impact of the museum itself. Visits to the Basque Country rose by
over 370,000 a year after the museum was opened, and 54% of these
were accounted for by visitors to the museum. 44% of the growth in
overseas tourism is attributed to the museum, and 50% of the growth in
overnight stays. The index for occupancy of top-end hotels by museum
visitors is 85%, indicating that its visitors are in a position to incur high
expenses with corresponding multiplying effects in the city.
A recent study46
has shown that tourism activity at market town
museums, libraries and archives (MLAs) across the East Midlands is worth
42
UK Sport data
43
The Impact of the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games, Cambridge Policy
Consultants for Manchester City Council 2002
44
Visitors to Museums and Galleries 2004, MORI for the Museums, Libraries & Archives
Council, 2004
45
Evaluating the Influence of a Large Cultural Artifact in the Attraction of Tourism: The
Guggenhiem Museum Bilbao Case, Beatriz Plaza, Urban Affairs Review Vol 36 No 2,
November 2000
46
Evaluation of Museums, Libraries and Archives as Tourist Destinations in Market Towns,
PLB Consulting Ltd, for emda and EMMLAC July 2004

some £15 million per annum, with this spending supporting around 440
jobs in the regional economy. This represents only a fraction of the overall
value of tourism to the economy of the East Midlands. A review of the
performance and potential of a sample of the region’s market town MLAs
has revealed that considerable opportunities exist to enhance their role
within the overall tourism product. By strengthening partnerships between
the different domains, working more closely with other partners in local
Market Town Initiatives and increasing engagement with local
communities, there is the potential to generate more awareness of the
distinct heritage of East Midlands market towns, draw in more visitors,
extend tourists’ length of stay and enhance their overall contribution
towards economic regeneration.
Market towns represent an important element of the UK’s rural tourism
product, acting as a focal point for the delivery of many services. In turn,
spending by tourists and day visitors provide wealth and support jobs
within local communities. Since the establishment by the Rural
Development Commission in 1997 of Action for Market Towns (AMT),
considerable efforts have been made in many market towns across
England to understand more fully their current tourism function and the
potential that exists for developing this role still further. In the East
Midlands, AMT, emda and the Countryside Agency have been
instrumental in developing a regional Market Towns Initiative that has
brought together a wide range of partners to help deliver a range of
initiatives across the sector.
There is a wide variation in impact on an event by event basis and certain
sports events, even world championships, do not get substantial media
coverage – an increasing focus of impact work. Long term festivals have a
clear economic benefit, but not major media coverage on the scale of the
big sporting events.
xiii Festivals
Festivals are complex and diverse events which have effects in the
economic, social and environmental spheres. For clarity, evidence relating
to festivals is here dealt with under economic effects, since most of the
available evidence relates mainly to this area of impact.
There are quantities of impact studies on European festivals, such as 1998
study of the Salzburg Festival47
repeated in 2002, or the set of studies on
Finnish festivals undertaken in the late 1990’s. The economic impact of
the Notting Hill Carnival48
has been examined in some detail.
The only comprehensive study of UK festivals by Rolfe49
shows that out of
527 festivals in the UK in 1992, 56% were established in the 1980s and
early 1990s. For many festivals, the prime objective is normally the
presentation of arts events to the local community. Tourism and
economic impact is often not a primary objective.
47
The Rise and Fall of Festivals: Reflections on the Salzburg Festival, Bruno S. Frey,
Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, University of Zurich 2000
48
Economic Impact of the Notting Hill Carnival 2002, Mann Weaver Drew, De Montfort
University, CSR Partnership, for London Development Agency, 2003
49
Arts Festivals in the UK, Heather Rolfe, PSI 1992

This finding is borne out by the most extensive UK study carried out in
2002-03 by De Montfort University, which50
researched the social and
economic impact of cultural festivals in the East Midlands. A fully
comparative study of eleven festivals makes the research a distinctive
piece of work among the studies of the economic impact of cultural
activities in the UK.
While their primary objectives were cultural, the festivals were found to be
generating substantial wealth and employment with a total spend of
£990,000 contributing a further £570,000 to the East Midland’s economy -
equivalent to 28 full time jobs. Over 250,000 people attended the festivals
and £7 million was spent by audiences in the festivals’ host areas,
generating a further £4 million to the region - equivalent to 210 full time
jobs. The great majority of local businesses saw festivals as good for local
communities and as making a good contribution to the development of
tourism.
Festivals were fond to enhance local image and identity by improving
perceptions of places and people. The equivalent of over 4000 days work
by volunteers for the festivals demonstrates that many are rooted in the
social and cultural life of the host community.
Very high levels of satisfaction with the events and of participation by the
public were found. Young people under 25 represented the greatest
potential for growth, making up 13.5% of audiences compared with
30.9% of the region's population
Audiences were mostly local or sub-regional and generally travelled less
than 50 miles return. More than 17% came on foot. Generally people who
travelled further spent more, rising to £81 for those who travelled more
than 20 miles.
The total income of the 11 festivals was just under £1 million. More than
40% was earned income. Public funding accounted for just over 40% of
income with local authorities contributing 16%. About 18% of total income
came from trusts and donations. Volunteer work, calculated at £5 per
hour, is estimated at £165,000, about equivalent to the local authority
contribution and demonstrates the crucial role local support, both public
and voluntary, play in staging festivals.
The study gathered the views of a selection of local businesses of whom
about a third said that that festivals provide economic benefits to them,
and similar numbers indicated that festivals were not important or were
even disruptive.
Seven per cent of audience members completing questionnaires had a
disability, slightly higher than the percentage of people with disabilities in
the region. More than 86% were White European. The percentage of the
audience belonging to the Black or Asian ethnic groups was more than
twice as high as the regional percentage.
50
Festivals and the creative region: the economic and social benefits of cultural festivals in
the East Midlands, Christopher Maughan and Franco Bianchini, De Montfort University for
Arts Council England 2003

Large scale long term festival-type events like the European City of
Culture can leave a legacy. The 2004 study by Palmer/Rae Associates51
on
behalf of the European Union of all the cultural capitals since 1985,
however, reveals a lack of concern about sustainability and legacy, as well
as a lack of detailed evaluation of impact beyond tourism impact.
xiv Film Festivals
A study of 64 film festivals in Europe in 199952
found that all sizes of
festival are continuing to see their audiences grow. The smaller festivals
are growing especially fast.
Beyond the direct economic spin-offs, which while sometimes spectacular,
are on the scale of a small business, the economic impact of film festivals
is felt especially within a longer term image strategy of the city or region
and its economic development, chiefly in three areas:
• Reinforcing the image of the city and tourist attractions
• Updating and modernising the city's image
• Developing ongoing economic activities linked to the cinema, media
and communication technologies.
This impact is recognised almost unanimously among local political and
economic leaders.
Festivals play an important role in the promotion of European films:
• By the considerable number of films they show: cumulatively, around
50,000 screenings of which 78% are European films (or co-
productions).
• By being a virtually obligatory stage in the marketing of films of which
the very great majority would otherwise fail to find a market.
• By the number of spectators attracted, reckoned to be in excess of two
million annually at the 64 festivals surveyed.
Almost all film festivals target campaigns at schools and children, with a
wide range of initiatives which sometimes include training. Besides this,
one in three also target minority or underprivileged segments of the
population. One in four take measures in favour of smaller municipalities
in rural areas or in a state of decline, thus helping to combat
disintegration of the social fabric.
xv Graduate retention
Arts, sport and other cultural activities have a significant impact on
graduate retention and attractiveness of universities. Those with the
highest ratio of applications to places are those regarded as having ‘a
scene’ such as Nottingham or Manchester. Research undertaken in
Leicestershire indicates that larger percentages wish to leave after
finishing their studies given the relative lack of cultural vitality. This
affects the skills profile of the region
51
Palmer/Rae Associates, (2004), European Cities and Capitals of Culture, Study Prepared
for the European Commission, Parts 1 and 2
52
The Socio-Economic Impact Of Film Festivals In Europe, European Coordination Of Film
Festivals, March 1999

xvi Employability
The first research to assess the link between arts and culture and
employability was in 1989, when Paul Collard reported on research to the
Department of the Environment that Manpower Services Commission
drama trainees were more successful in gaining employment outside the
arts than trainees on general courses such as computer skills.
The skills engendered in the arts parallel those appropriate to new
business needs. The National Advisory Council on Creative and Cultural
Education (NACCCE)53
argued that there is a growing demand in
businesses worldwide for forms of education and training which develop
‘human resources’, particularly communication, innovation and creativity.
This is true not just for the creative industries and occupations, but for all
types of business and all types of work. Evidence from educational
research suggests that the arts can help develop communication and
social skills, creativity and thinking skills.
Inspiring Learning for All is a programme promoted by the Council for
Museums, Libraries and Archives (MLA) to improve services and
systematically gather evidence of the value of learning initiatives in
museums, libraries and archives. Details can be found at
http://www.inspiringlearningforall.gov.uk/
xvii The creative milieu
Richard Florida’s work in the ‘Rise of the Creative Class’54
makes a
correlation between the presence of creative people in a community and
its economic health. Based on extensive research in 50 US cities, he
identifies a growing group of workers (scientists, engineers, designers,
artists and musicians currently representing 30% of the workforce) in
creative roles, whose presence will determine whether a place succeeds or
languishes.
Cities are therefore locked in competition to attract, keep or grow their
own creative classes and Florida reviews the factors which contribute to
this. Good air connections, research capacity, venture capital investment,
and clusters of producers are all well known in the widely copied “Silicon
Somewhere” model. For Florida though, these alone are not enough,
because the creative class are not simply economic units of production but
people with a whole range of personal, social and cultural needs and
desires which are at least as important to releasing their creative
productivity as the old economic levers.
The cities which are succeeding in the new economy, according to his
indices, are also the most diverse, tolerant and bohemian places in
America. Cities that are investing heavily in high technology futures but
who are not also providing a broad mix of cultural experiences are going
to fall behind in the longer term. It is notable that it is not so much ‘big
ticket’ venues such as sports stadia and concert halls that Florida regards
53
National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education: All Our Futures:
Creativity, Culture and Education: Report to the Secretary of State for Education and
Employment and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, May 1999
54
The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community
and Everyday Life, Richard Florida, Perseus Books, 2002

as having drawing power so much as street level culture, a tolerant
environment for minority cultures and lifestyle groups, and a strong
control of environmental quality and congestion. The creative classes are
mobile and if their city makes them uncomfortable they will find another
one.
Florida considers a range of factors, including availability of leisure
amenities, ‘big ticket’ cultural and sporting facilities, and assesses their
correlation with cities with a high population of high technology companies
and knowledge workers. He has also developed indices of ‘coolness’ and
diversity, based respectively on the numbers ‘nightlife amenities’ and on
the extent within the population of minority cultural and lifestyle groups.
This results in city competitiveness league tables and a ‘talent map’ of the
United States which has become the source of lively debate amongst both
the inward investment community and city governments.
In a recent study in Europe55
, Florida combined the Creative Class Index
with two other talent measures to build an overall Euro-Talent Index. In
addition to the Creative Class Index, the Euro-Talent Index includes the
Human Capital Index, based on the percentage of population age 25-64
with a degree; and the Scientific Talent Index based on the number of
research scientists and engineers per thousand workers. The top
performers of the 14 EU states ranked by the Euro-Talent Index are
Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom and Sweden.
The Netherlands, Belgium, and UK score highly on creative occupations
and human capital, and are considered by Florida to be in very good
position to mobilize and harness creative assets.
xviii Design and economic performance
The study commissioned by the Design Council56
demonstrates
conclusively the impact of investment in design on the stock market
performance of UK publicly listed companies. The results of that research
could not be clearer in proving that those companies that effectively use
design in their business outperform their peers. With a research universe
of 166 design-led companies, tracked over ten years, there has been an
out-performance of 200% against the FTSE 100 and FTSE All-Share. This
adds to the growing evidence that design measurably improves company
performance. For the financial community, it offers a new way of looking
at investment and for business managers and designers alike a business
case for design. The implication on regeneration is that design will have a
greater impact on renewal than if it is not considered a priority.
The criteria of what constitutes ‘good design’ can be seen as subjective.
The study therefore principally used the results of a wide range of design
awards as the basis for stock selection, because of their
comprehensiveness and relative objectivity.
55
Europe in the Creative Age, Florida & Tinagli, London, Demos 2004
56
Impact of Design on Stock Market Performance: An Analysis of UK Quoted Companies
1994-2003, various authors, London, Design Council 2004

6.2 Culture and social regeneration
A phase of cultural research starting in 1993 focused on social impact
where the discussion document The Social Impact of the Arts57
made the
first explicit reference to the new policy agenda. There had been earlier
studies which had explored the role of arts in particular settings. For
example, Peaker and Vincent's 199058
study of arts in prisons was based
on a survey of arts activities in prisons in England and Wales and five in-
depth case studies. While Senior and Croall (1993)59
, outlining the
position of arts in health care in the UK as it stood in 1992, identified
around 300 projects, 'providing work for several hundred artists and
craftspeople. Use or Ornament? The Social Impact of Participation in Arts
Programmes, 199760
produced a step change in recognition of the sector's
contribution to social development. This seminal study provided a clearer
definition of the potential social benefits of the arts, and for the first time
brought the issues fully to the attention of policymakers and suggested a
methodological framework. Following the publication of Bringing Britain
Together: a national strategy for neighbourhood renewal61
in 1998, Policy
Action Team 10 (PAT 10) was established. In 1999, the PAT 10 report to
the government's Social Exclusion Unit (SEU)62
, concluded that arts,
sports, cultural and recreational activity 'can contribute to neighbourhood
renewal and make a real difference to health, crime, employment and
education in deprived communities' (DCMS, 1999).
Most social projects aimed to increase confidence, esteem or skills.
Interviews with participants often show that they felt more confident as a
result of projects, more proud of themselves and their group’s
achievement and that they had learned new skills and developed existing
skills through the arts process, some of which were transferable to other
settings. Typically evaluation takes place through participant, artist or
stakeholder feedback, reflective records or through external evaluators.
Longitudinal research across a range of projects is required to establish
the extent to which claimed outcomes are long-lasting, transfer to other
settings or pave the way to other things. The only substantial study of this
type is Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning (Edward
B Fiske ed. 1999)63
, which tracked young people for over a decade and
found that learners can attain higher levels of achievement through their
engagement with the arts. Moreover, one of the critical research findings
57
The Social Impact of the Arts C Landry and F Bianchini, Comedia 1993
58
Peaker, A. and J. Vincent, Arts in prisons: a sense of achievement. Loughborough
University, Centre for Research in Social Policy, 1990
59
Senior , P and Croall , J: Helping to Heal: The Arts in Healthcare. Calouste Gulbenkian
Foundation. London 1993
60
Use or Ornament? The Social Impact of Participation in Arts Programmes, F Matarasso,
Comedia 1997
61
Bringing Britain Together: a national strategy for neighbourhood renewal SEU Cabinet
Office, 1998
62
published on http://www.neighbourhood.gov.uk/patsreports.asp
63
Edward B Fiske ed, Various authors ‘Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on
Learning (1999)’, Arts Education Partnership see also website www.aep-arts.org/ for
related research listings

is that the learning in and through the arts can help level the playing field
for youngsters from disadvantaged circumstances.
The social effects of culture and regeneration are harder to measure
quantitatively as impacts are often concerned with personal
transformation. There is a mass of individual case studies which show that
arts and sports projects can be beneficial, but not how they work. As
Helen Jermyn, the author of an ACE study called The Art of Inclusion
(2004) noted in summarizing the UK situation that there are usually 'small
sample surveys, reliance on self-report measures, presentation of case-
studies in a generalist way, lack of analysis relating to processes and so
on. Often the conclusions drawn from such studies require qualification'.
i Museums, Libraries and Archives
In 2002 the Council for Museums, Libraries and Archives (MLA) undertook
a review of the evidence of the social impact of museums, galleries,
libraries and archives64
.
Museums and galleries
A number of areas of social impact were explored in four major studies:
The GLLAM Report (Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, 2000);
MORI polls (1999, 2001); Including Museums (Dodd & Sandell, 2001);
social impact of the Open Museum in Glasgow (Dodd et al., 2002). The
most compelling evidence of impact was found to be in the areas of
personal development, such as:
• Acquisition of skills;
• Trying new experiences;
• Increased confidence and self-esteem;
• Changed or challenged attitudes;
• Developing creativity, cultural awareness, communication and
memory;
• Providing support for educational courses.
These outcomes are comparable to the evidence for impact on learning.
Although actual evidence was not substantiated by this review, museum
users and non-users, staff and project workers in varying degrees
perceived there to be an impact in wider social areas with specific
examples given in:
• Community empowerment, cohesion and capacity building;
• Influencing disadvantaged and socially excluded groups;
• Promoting healthier communities;
• Tackling unemployment;
• Tackling crime.
Archives
The archive domain used similar themes of social impact in two large-
scale surveys of visitors to UK archives (Public Services Quality Group for
64
Impact Evaluation of Museums, Archives And Libraries: Available Evidence Project,
Caroline Wavell et al Aberdeen Business School, The Robert Gordon University for Council
for Museums, Libraries and Archives 2002

Archives and Local Studies, 1999 & 2001) and again the evidence for
positive impact is expressed in terms of personal development:
• Useful and enjoyable learning experience;
• Important source of leisure enjoyment and personal satisfaction;
• Stimulating or broadening understanding of history and culture;
• Increasing abilities, skills and confidence; and, to a limited extent;
• Helping job seeking or workplace skills.
In addition, respondents expressed the view that archives had a positive
impact on wider social issues:
• Preservation of culture;
• Strengthening family and community identity;
• Learning opportunities;
• Supporting administrative and business activity.
The archive domain has used an audit of social inclusion work in
designated Places of Deposit for Public Records in England and Wales
(National Council on Archives, 2001) to establish that there is potential for
wider impact in the following areas:
• Personal identity and development;
• Community identity and development;
• Representing communities;
• Democracy and citizenship;
• Tackling crime;
• Promoting healthier communities;
• Promoting lifelong learning, educational attainment, employability.
Libraries
More studies examining social impact have been conducted in the public
library domain than in museums and archives, including major national
reviews and studies taking a more qualitative approach.
Evidence from Building Better Library Services (Audit Commission, 2002);
Matarasso (1998); Linley and Usherwood (1998); Bryson, Usherwood and
Streatfield (2002); Black and Crann (2000) and the two closure studies
(Proctor, Usherwood and Sobczyk, 1996 and Proctor, Lee and Reilly,
1998) indicates positive impact in supporting:
• Personal development - including formal education, lifelong learning
and training; after-school activities; literacy, leisure, social, and
cultural objectives through book borrowing; skills development,
availability of public information;
• Social cohesion - by providing a meeting place and centre of
community development; raising the profile and confidence of
marginalised groups;
• Community empowerment - by supporting community groups and
developing a sense of equity and access;
• Local culture and identity - by providing community identity and
information;
• Health and well-being - by contributing to the quality of life and
how well people feel, as well as providing health information
services;

• Local economy - by providing business information and supporting
skills development.
Studies concentrating on specific aspects of service provision, such as ICT
(Eve and Brophy, 2001 and Roberts, Everitt and Tomos, 2000) indicate
that these services also contribute to personal development.
Studies examining special libraries have shown the provision of
information to have a positive impact on professional decision-making
(Marshall, 1992; Urquhart and Hepworth, 1995; Ashcroft, 1998; Reid,
Thomson and Wallace-Smith, 1998; and Grieves, 1998).
Exploratory research in public libraries has investigated the level of
activity and initiatives relating to social inclusion in UK public libraries and
the extent to which the inclusion work is being monitored (McKrell, Green
and Harris, 1997; Muddiman et al., 2000). These studies suggest the
mechanisms for monitoring social impact in public libraries have yet to be
established.
Research in public libraries has combined qualitative and quantitative
methods to assess impact and this has provided validity from large
samples.
In general, while most of the literature conveys the opinion that the sector
does have a positive social impact, extensive hard evidence of this impact,
gathered systematically, is often lacking, particularly in the museums and
archives domains. In addition, throughout all three domains, there is a
general acknowledgement of the difficulties of establishing a causal link
between the sector and social impact.
ii Sport
There are a number of reviews of the relationship between sport and
social exclusion and the linkages between social and economic processes
and subsequent benefits. A fruitful avenue seeks to articulate the nature
of the social and psychological mechanisms involved in the achievement of
these benefits (Coalter, 200065
). So:
• individual sports may foster self reliance;
• team sports may promote team work skills and reciprocity;
• motor skill-based sports promote physical competences such as
dexterity and reaction time;
• strategy based sports may foster anticipation and adaptation to the
wider environment;
• sports requiring physical skills may promote strength and/or cardio-
vascular health;
• contact sport may promote physical self-confidence, and respect for
others;
• competitive sport may promote self esteem;
• recreational sport may promote relaxation, social networks.
iii Community cohesion
In rural areas the significant role of cultural programmes and activities in
strengthening communities has been shown in a number of studies, such
65
The Role of Sport in Regenerating Deprived Urban Areas, F Coalter with M Allison and J
Taylor Scottish Executive, 2000

as Only Connect66
and The Same, But Different67
. Rural performing arts
touring has been shown to be an important contributor to community
development in that, rather than simply giving people access to a service,
it involves them directly in all aspects of its delivery, where they live. It is
less of a good provided, than a process acquired, and its impact on the
community organizations involved can therefore be profound. Rural
touring has often been the first step in local arts and community
development initiatives, valuable because it is accessible, yet demanding.
People in villages have used touring to develop new community projects
and organisations, with positive outcomes for rural cohesion and
regeneration.
Rural touring has a valuable role in a changing the social and economic
environment. Its contribution to community development, social capital
and voluntary activity make it very relevant to the Rural White Paper’s
headline indicator of ‘community involvement and activity’, and the
Countryside Agency’s measures relating to ‘community space, community
engagement and community capacity’. It is not a panacea, but it should
be part of any policy aiming to support regeneration, social inclusion and a
good quality of life in rural areas.
The recent publication ‘Theatre and Empowerment’68
argues the value of
performance as a vital agent of necessary social change and shows how
performance in its widest sense can play a part in community activism on
a scale larger than the individual, ‘one-off’ project by helping communities
find their own liberating and creative voices.
Voluntary sector heritage organisations, building preservation trusts,
townscape heritage initiatives and the like, have been seen as opponents
of change. Such organisations, however, often act as a catalyst for the
regeneration of communities and the places in which people live and work.
A recent report69
demonstrates how the range of voluntary heritage
organisations in Britain have become central to creating sustainable
communities and urban and rural regeneration, and are a source of
funding, expertise, skills and community engagement. The voluntary
sector is particularly adept at spotting and supporting opportunities for the
sympathetic re-use and redevelopment of local heritage assets, from
redundant corner shops to the wholesale regeneration of historic urban
quarters, and making regeneration happen. It can do this by involving
local communities in plans for change, levering-in resources and, in many
cases, making all the difference to the commercial viability of proposed
projects. The energy and commitment to safeguarding and improving the
quality of local heritage embodied in voluntary organisations can both be
the creative and the driving force for successful regeneration.
66
Only Connect F Matarasso, Comedia, 2004
67
The Same, But Different: Rural arts touring in Scotland, the case of theatre (CCPR,
Hamilton and Scullion, Comedia, 2004)
68
Theatre and Empowerment, Jane Plastow and Richard Boon eds, Cambridge University
Press 2004
69
The Heritage Dynamo: how the voluntary sector drives regeneration, Heritage Link 2004

Recent Australian research70
discusses the role of creative networks in
non-metropolitan areas, with a focus on issues of youth unemployment
and out-migration. Creative networks in non-metropolitan areas face
problems of informal and itinerant membership, and anti-socialisation
attitudes. Yet they appear to have a substantial role in improving the
conditions of viability for vulnerable cultural producers. When conceived as
part of interventionist strategies to promote youth employment and to
stem the youth exodus from rural areas, they may also have socio-
demographic implications beyond the scope of their original intent.
iv Anti-social behaviour
A growing amount of evidence is accumulating about the impact of culture
in relation to anti-social behaviour. The DCMS, the Offenders’ Learning
and Skills Unit and Arts Council England jointly funded a review of
literature and practice in the arts and criminal justice71
, which will shortly
appear. It includes a critical review of relevant published UK and overseas
literature and research findings; an in-depth survey of unpublished
reporting/data/past and ongoing activity generated by providers,
practitioners, and policy-makers in the arts and criminal justice sector and
a distillation and analysis of existing theory, and practice-based models of
engagement in arts in criminal justice settings. The next stage of the
research will be a year-long pilot to test methodologies and the feasibility
of measuring the impact of arts-based interventions in custodial settings.
The literature review suggests that there is a great deal of anecdotal
evidence, but little robust data using well-specified research design and
large sample sizes. Evidence from the literature review suggests the arts
have an impact on crime prevention, reconviction, good order in custodial
settings, challenging prejudice and improving literacy skills.
A case study example is Splash and its successor programmes which
engage young people in community activities and use arts, sport and
other cultural programmes to occupy young people at risk of social
exclusion so they are less likely to commit crime. Such schemes have an
impact on crime and arrest rates. Splash programmes contributed to a 7.4
per cent reduction in crime in the areas that ran the scheme. Similar
evidence has been provided by the Social Exclusion Unit and Sport
England.
v Educational performance and capacity building
The positive connection between participation in the arts and especially
the performance of low-achieving pupils has been more thoroughly
analysed in the US. Starting with the groundbreaking study: ‘Schools,
Communities, and the Arts: A Research Compendium’72
and in 2001 the
70
Creative networks in regional Australia, Gibson, C. & Robinson, D, Media Information
Australia, ‘Creative Networks’ issue 2004 (in press)
71
Commissioned by The Research in Arts and Criminal Justice Think Tank (REACTT), part
of the Unit for Arts and Offenders
72
for example Schools, Communities, and the Arts: A Research Compendium (1995)
Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University. See also the Community
Arts Network (CAN) www.artslynx.org/heal/rsrch.htm for listings of research.

series of studies that make up ‘Champions of Change: The impact of the
arts on learning’73
.
A recent Ofsted study74
reports on some of the lowest attaining schools in
England which nonetheless ‘are achieving above national expectations for
one or more of the arts subjects’. Data from Ofsted school inspections
were also analysed. The report recognises the small scale and limited
focus of the study and that the findings are not necessarily representative
of the national picture. A study for DfES75
in 2001 reported the results of a
longitudinal evaluation, based on a sample of over 8,000 children, of the
impact of the Study Support programme of out-of-school learning for
secondary school students, which has been operating in England since
1998. This programme proved to be very powerful in educational terms -
an added value of an average one A-C grade pass at GCSE. While subject-
focused activities had the biggest impact on attainment, non-examined
activities including sport, music and drama were found to have an effect
on academic attainment as well as on attitudes and attendance. Over and
above the direct effects, all types of out-of-school learning provided by
Study Support had indirect effects influencing motivation and self-esteem.
Creative Partnerships is an Arts Council of England programme which
provides school children with the opportunity to develop creativity in
learning and to take part in cultural activities of the highest quality. With
substantial backing from DCMS76
, the programme has focused on
Neighbourhood Renewal Fund areas where schools have reached plateau
with conventional methods of improving numeracy and literacy. It gives
access to rich and diverse cultural experiences through working directly
with artists and other creative professionals. 36 Creative Partnerships
have been established so far, in 65 local education authority areas.
Creative Partnerships is already having a significant impact. By November
2004, there had been over 217,000 attendances by young people at more
than 2,500 projects, and the programme had also provided over 141,000
hours of professional development to teachers and creative professionals.
vi Health
Research (including clinical research) has shown that participation in
sporting activities (including physical activity) has led to improved
physical and mental health (eg reduced stress levels, reduction in anxiety
and blood pressure, reduction in visits to GP etc). Clinical, hospital based
research has provided hard, undisputed facts on the improvement of
health. However, ‘softer’ more qualitative outcomes have been shown to
include improved communication skills in those with special needs; ‘carers’
having developed new skills and confidence; and improved interpersonal
73
Edward B Fiske ed, Various authors ‘Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on
Learning (1999)’, Arts Education Partnership see also website www.aep-arts.org/ for
related research listings
74
Improving city schools: how the arts can help (HMI, 2003)
75
The Impact of Study Support, J. MacBeath et al (2001), HMSO for the DfES
76
Parliamentary written answer, Culture Media and Sport, 6 December 2004

skills and increased social networks having led to an improved sense of
well-being amongst the target population77
.
A separate tradition of research exists within the medical and scientific
community, and Arts Council England recently published a review of the
scientific literature on arts and health78
. This review of almost 400 papers
focused primarily on studies published during the last decade, although it
also includes a few papers from outside this period. It offers strong
evidence of the influence of the arts and humanities in achieving effective
approaches to patient management and to the education and training of
health practitioners. It identifies the relative contribution of different
artforms to the final aim of creating a therapeutic healthcare environment.
The review highlights the crucial importance of the arts and humanities in:
• inducing positive physiological and psychological changes in clinical
outcomes
• reducing drug consumption
• shortening length of stay in hospital
• increasing job satisfaction
• promoting better doctor-patient relationships
• improving mental healthcare
• developing health practitioners’ empathy across gender and cultural
diversity
Within the social domain it is less easy to establish quantitative data.
However, a series of literature reviews of various aspects have or are
being undertaken and a number of more longitudinal studies are being set
in train.
6.3 Culture and environmental regeneration
Most frequently the connection is made between public art, urban design
and the environment. However, increasingly cultural programmes to raise
awareness of environmental issues are becoming part of the regeneration
repertoire more widely.
i Sport
The impact of sport on the environment has attracted increasing attention
from policy makers and critics alike. The IOC has led the way and adapted
its Charter in 1996 to recognise its responsibility for the environment,
which with ‘sport’ and ‘culture’ now constitutes the three ‘pillars’ of the
Olympic Movement (culture in this context being broadly identified with
the arts). Sustainability and environment were key features of the
successful bids to stage the Winter and Summer Games respectively by
Lillehammer in 1994 and Sydney in 2000, and since 1995 every candidate
city of the Winter Games must first be evaluated in terms of the impact of
its proposals on the environment. Nationally Sport England promotes the
value of open space in cities used for recreation and sport, the use of
open space in the urban fringe for informal sport and recreation such as
77
A Literature Review of the Evidence Base for Culture, the Arts and Sport Policy, Janet
Ruiz, Information, Analysis & Communication Division, Scottish Executive, 2004
78
Arts in health: a review of the medical literature, Dr R L Staricoff, Arts Council England
2004

cycling and walking, and in the countryside, the value of sometimes
fragile environmental resources for sport in rural contexts.
ii Environmental quality
An area of potential gain for the rural areas is that of 'green tourism'
based on environmental quality. Analysis79
of visits to tourism sites from
1999 in the report Valuing the Environment of the North East of England
showed that 62 per cent of a total of 14.4 million visits to attractions were
clearly based on the quality of the environment. A 1999 survey of the
activities undertaken by visitors in the region showed that 38 per cent of
activities were strongly dependent on the quality of the region’s natural
and historic environment.
Cultural projects can improve the local environment for citizens, but
sometimes there are unforeseen side effects. Jim Lundy’s now famous
intervention to grass over the main thoroughfare Swanston St. in
Melbourne that then led to its pedestrianisation has become part of
folklore. Copenhagen’s policy to support street theatre to encourage
walking in the city is another. Public art can encourage people to use open
space, as evidenced by increased visitors before and after in Grizedale,
Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the new Route of Industrial Culture in the
Ruhr.
The Homezone initiative, started in the Netherlands and now replicated in
the UK, seeks through design, local community organisation (and in some
cases the involvement of artists) to reduce traffic, reduce fear of crime,
produce safe play areas for young children and space for people to
interact. There is no study that monitors levels of vandalism or
perceptions of safety in environments with public art and the conditions
under which it occurs, although CABE’s recent work on open space
outlines example of European best practice.
The negative side-effects of cultural projects have so far only been
reviewed journalistically in terms of noise generated, congestion created
and side-effects of the night time economy.
Sport England points to the regeneration of East Manchester as a product
of the staging of the Commonwealth Games and the reclamation of
derelict land in the Don Valley in Sheffield made possible by the staging of
the 1991 World Student Games. While this event is considered to have
had an overall positive effect on the region’s economy it is noted that
there were negative consequences; Sheffield City Council is carrying an
annual debt burden of £22m from staging the games80
.
Using arts, sport and other cultural activities to raise environmental
awareness is now part of the repertoire of cultural policy making in
Europe, the US and Canada and Australia. Organizations in the UK, such
as Common Ground have highlighted issues of distinctiveness and
environmental awareness launching national programmes, such as Apple
Day in which over 100,000 people take part or developing parish maps.
79
Government Office for the North East, Rural Action Plan 2001
80
The Value of the Sports Economy in the Regions: The Case of Yorkshire & the Humber,
Cambridge Econometrics for Sport England 2003

While its impact has not been comprehensively quantified, there are
quantities of case study evaluations.
iii Quality in architecture and urban design
Since the reassembly of the Royal Fine Art Commission into CABE there
has been a solid build up of evidence to substantiate the importance of
design81
. This has been quantified partly through estimates of economic
value and partly through survey work involving different settings, such as
residential, offices and facilities like hospitals. It replicates similar work by
the Urban Land Institute in the States, which calculated that higher design
whilst costing ca. 10% more recouped this through higher capital and
rental values.
A significant problem area is the lack of discussion about aesthetic
controls and subsequent erosion of discussion about possible measures of
aesthetic quality. For several decades there has been a common
assumption by urban professionals that it is impossible to specify aesthetic
guidelines with the argument that such matters are in the eye of the
beholder. As a consequence there is practically no analytical work that
judges urban environments against aesthetic criteria. However, there is a
rich literature specifying what such standards could be related for instance
to the proportions of buildings, their height, scale, use of material and
colour, interactions with sun and light or with natural characteristics of the
landscape. This blind spot, an area of expertise within the artistic
community, weakens its potential contribution to regeneration.
iv Heritage and physical renewal
Impact studies in the heritage field have been undertaken, the most
recent being Valuing Museums: Impact and Innovation among National
Museums82
. This study found that its study group of museums had an
overall turnover of £715 million in 2003-04, and an overall economic
impact in the range £1.83 billion to £2.07 billion. Six out of the top ten UK
visitor attractions in 2002 were museums.
Refurbishing and re-use of heritage buildings, from churches, old theatres,
to domestic buildings and industrial structures gives confidence for
development whilst maintaining a link with the legacy. The most
comprehensive development of its kind is Emscher Park83
an 80km stretch
in the Ruhr in Germany, which particularly through its agency the IBA
from 1989 onwards dramatically transformed the area restructuring it to
new economy needs by re-valuing existing industrial structures. Nearly 5
million visitors now come to the Route of Industrial Culture a trail of 19
‘cathedrals of work’ – the most impressive structures, such as a
gasometer, coal mines, steel factories that have been turned into
exhibition centres, a design museum and technology parks. Emscher Park
was viewed as a cultural project in that sought to change the mindset of
inhabitants, whilst creating a link to the past. An extensive literature has
analysed impacts.
81
Extensive literature can be found at http://www.cabe.org.uk
82
Valuing Museums: Impact and Innovation among National Museums T Travers and S
Glaister, National Museum Directors Conference 2004
83
Brown, Brenda J. 2001. Reconstructing the Ruhrgebiet. Landscape Architecture 4/2001

In the UK the Heritage Dividend in the East of England region84
summarizes data drawn from a broad range of regeneration schemes and
shows that £10,000 of heritage investment levers £45,000 of private and
public sector funding. Together, this delivers on average: 55 square
metres of improved commercial floor space; plus 1 improved building;
plus 1 new job; plus 2 safeguarded jobs; plus 1 improved dwelling.
v Energy efficiency and human settlements
Shifting transport to walking and public transport and the use of materials
are key areas where the arts and sport have contributed. Sustrans’ Art
and the Travelling Landscape has increased usage along routes where
projects are based, where the cycle networks included public art as a
means of increasing attractiveness. Experience shows that footfall
increases in environments deemed to be attractive, so encouraging
walking. The use of arts in metro stations most famously Stockholm, St.
Petersburg, Boston, Moscow, Lille, Strasbourg, Delhi and Naples have now
become basic ingredients to avoid vandalism and increase usage. Many
stations are now visitor attractions in their own right.
Numerous programmes are underway especially in Germany, such as
ExWoSt, Best Idea Contest Stadt 2030, Building and Living in the 21st
Century, the 100,000 Solar Roofs programme, demonstration projects,
such as the models of Kronsberg, Vauban, Emscherpark. In all these
developments culture is integrated.
In the UK arts projects have highlighted and popularized the use of
renewable materials, such as willow, lime render, hazel fencing, but these
are usually described in case studies, such as those by the arts and
environment charity Littoral85
.
84
Heritage Dividend East of England Region: Measuring the results of heritage
regeneration, English Heritage 2003
85
http://www.littoral.org.uk/publications.htm

7 Capturing the flying fact
At the regional level there is both a need and an opportunity to further
improve the evidence base of the benefit of culture to regeneration. The
authors of this report suggest two lines of action which could be
considered by Culture East Midlands
i Development templates
The range of projects in which culture is involved with regeneration could
be encouraged to gather data on a systematic basis, such that it could be
gathered, aggregated and analysed to provide better data and knowledge.
This would support future programmes and projects, and would also assist
in the management of projects already under way by providing
comparators and baselines. It is suggested that this is achieved by the
creation of a set of templates for gathering information, relevant to
various kinds of project.
The associated report Evidencing the Value of Culture in the Regeneration
Context explains this proposal in more detail and sets out some examples
of what such templates might look like.
ii Structural Funds data collection
At present under the 2000-2006 programmes of ERDF Objective 2 and
ESF, quite a number of cultural projects are under way which are
contributors to regeneration programmes in both urban and rural areas of
the region. Similarly, emda funds are supporting many such projects, and
in many cases both sources are involved. All of these projects are required
by the terms of their ERDF and emda grants to provide regular reports of
information on the progress of the outputs they are contracted to produce.
These are specified in some detail against a set of output definitions which
are standardised across the whole ERDF programme. Data reports are
produced quarterly, in some instances monthly, by the individual project
and supplied to the respective funder for their records and monitoring.
The long list of standard outputs includes such things as numbers of jobs
created and safeguarded, areas of workspace created, leverage of
investment, sales achieved and in the case of ESF, numbers of trainees
and sessions. Different projects have different specifications of their
outputs but all are drawn from the same pool of standards and so can be
aggregated and analysed.
CEM could approach Government Office and emda to propose an
agreement that it could have access to the output data produced by
cultural projects in the region, on appropriate terms. Using the data CEM
could undertake analysis to produce a periodic report on the projects and
their contribution to regeneration programmes.
These are modest proposals and the authors believe that they could be
implemented reasonably simply and economically, and that the results
would greatly strengthen the evidence in the future.

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