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Space for Creativity
- 1. Space for Creativity – Creative Industries in Outer Suburbia Anna Daniel & Dr. Mark Gibson National Centre for Australian Studies, Monash University Presentation to State of Australian Cities, Nov09
- 2. Rationale • Creative industries and SMEs are a key driver of future economic growth • Inner urban prejudice in creative industries research • 4 key changes: cheaper space; cultural diversity; the internet; polycentric city structures. • So what is the state of creative industries in the outer suburbs? They said: people asking ….where you exhibit? … like why you not moving to city? ... I say no, I love Dandenong ... If you all want to move to the city then … we’re going to live in Dandenong, yeah … Most of them taking their work to the city, which is, like I’m seeing is not fair, we have to have it in our … suburbs because not all the people are able to travel to the city ... And there’s many artists they just sit and they were like ‘there’s not much … to do in our suburb’, so why are we not doing something to make our suburb better? And look more nicer with our art (Dandenong Visual Artist).
- 3. Creative Suburbia • To listen to creative practitioners in the outer suburbs: Frankston, Dandenong, Redcliffe and Springfield. • Address factors that may affect the movement of jobs to the outer suburbs They said: That’s what I’d be worried about if I moved to the city, just space (Frankston Musician).
- 4. Physical space • Cheaper land • To establish a home based business, with no commute • Room for family • Proximity to relatives • Halfway between the city and rural lifestyles They said: Oh, fantastic .. near all the things for kids (Frankston Illustrator). Bigger house and … more space and that type of thing … but I’m happy with the area (Frankston Film Producer)
- 5. Symbolic space: Headspace • Perception of social space • Less distractions, space to create • Do it yourself ethos, creative initiative They said: Frankston is a good place to write songs….. There’s not a lot else to do. Some bands, you go to LA and make a record but you’re kinda getting sidetracked by all this other crap to do. Here in Frankston, you just don’t leave the room and you play guitar all goddamn day (Frankston Musician (Simos 2005)). I realised that there was no exhibition space for all of these talented people out here, there’s nothing so I thought well I can do this (Dandenong Curator)
- 6. Symbolic space cont’d… • Are the outer suburbs a blank canvas? • It is not absolutist, nor are the suburbs a monoculture They said: I’m free in this area … I’ve got that freedom to do what I want to do (Frankston Visual Artist) sort of not too far away from the city, but you’re still away from the city, so yeah. It’s not all hustle and bustle (Frankston Musician)
- 7. Proximity to Bush and Bay • There is stimulus but it’s a different kind of stimulus - Nature • They are not tree changers • Romanticism They said: it’s still got a very sort of rural feel about it and the thing that I really like is its proximity to the bay, to the water … only half an hour drive to the ocean beaches as well, which is one of the main reasons I initially set up business here rather than closer to the city (Frankston Graphic Designer). We have a lot of nature and from nature we can create everything. … We don’t need to imitate (Frankston Photographer).
- 8. Romanticism They said: I hate the city, … I hate the traffic, I don’t like the crush, I don’t like the smell, I don’t like the noise, I don’t like….there’s nothing about the city that I like… I find it oppressive, I find it … threatening, I find the city intellectually threatening… all these great big glass skyscrapers everywhere… it is inhumane,.. it dominates, it tends to put people in an ‘ant like’ position. You’ve got these elephantine structures over you, dominating you, forcing you down into some… almost into submission, intellectual submission. … whereas being surrounded by … massive trees, … massive mountains, being surrounded by things like that is not even remotely intimidating, not even remotely. In fact it’s exhilarating…. it’s like being surrounded by the stars, … it’s enervating. These multistorey office blocks, they’re not, they’re inhumane, and I’ve never liked them. …. I find that [big cities] do tend to … dominate the thinking and you end up by being as it were squeezed into its mould. Squeezed into the mould of whatever the city is trying to squeeze you into and that is a real problem. … they squeeze you into a sort of … a form of conformity, you know, and you end up by conforming to a … to a MASS … a mass thinking. You’re an ant … you lose your uniqueness, you lose your individuality, you lose your creativity as it were. And your creativity, whatever your creativity is, tends to have to conform to a pattern (Frankston Architect).
- 9. Concluding points • We have identified hundreds of creative industry practitioners in the outer suburbs. The development of suburban creative industries is important to future SME and economic growth. • In light of forecast population growth, the Australian urban development community should consider policy responses towards creativity in the suburbs: – Space is valued as a sense of place-making and is important in urban design – Creatives tend to lead social changes, and we are hearing a strong romantic attachment to nature. They said: The only thing that I suppose that people that live in areas like this are worried about is.. if…when people try to put multi dwelling units … pulling the density up too high. … One of the things about a typical suburban block about this size is that … it works pretty well… there’s always potential in an area like this where … some developer will look at it and say…. how can I make a quid out of this … and they wreck it. So it’s just a matter of sensible planning control (Frankston Architect).
- 10. Concluding points • We have identified hundreds of creative industry practitioners in the outer suburbs. The development of suburban creative industries is important to future SME and economic growth. • In light of forecast population growth, the Australian urban development community should consider policy responses towards creativity in the suburbs: – Space is valued as a sense of place-making and is important in urban design – Creatives tend to lead social changes, and we are hearing a strong romantic attachment to nature. They said: The only thing that I suppose that people that live in areas like this are worried about is.. if…when people try to put multi dwelling units … pulling the density up too high. … One of the things about a typical suburban block about this size is that … it works pretty well… there’s always potential in an area like this where … some developer will look at it and say…. how can I make a quid out of this … and they wreck it. So it’s just a matter of sensible planning control (Frankston Architect).
Editor's Notes
- I’ll spend a lot of time on this slide - hence long quote Creative industries are a key driver of future economic growth (Yusuf & Nabeshima, 2003) Inner urban prejudice in creative industries research (Gibson & Brennan-Horley, 2006; De Propris et al, 2009; Florida 2002) 4 key changes: cheaper space; Property prices are driving out all but the most established or alternately funded creative businesses from the city centre. However we’ve seen it should not be crudely reduced to an issue of cost. cultural diversity; In former decades the suburbs were viewed as a homogenous monculture, and the city was seen as cosmopolitan. However as cities increasingly become gentrified the multicultural hotspots are now outer suburbs, especially where recent migrants to Australia live. For example Blacktown, Lakemba, and Dandenong the internet; the internet now allows businesses that offer intangible products and/or services to target a global market. Location matters less, with some products/services the need to be based in the city is no longer as important. polycentric city structures. Traditionally cities have been designed on a hub and spoke model, however as the Australian population grows Melbourne is moving to a polycentric model of 6 central activity districts, which will replicate services provided in the city. So what is the state of creative industries in the outer suburbs? There are very few studies (Gibson Brenna-Horley 2006) that have specifically targeted creative practitioners in the outer suburbs, to explore and seek to understand their experiences, opportunities, and challenges and barriers to development of their business.
- This project seeks to listen to creative practioners in the outer suburbs in order to explore and understand factors affecting their employment and productivity. Ultimately we are aiming to address factors that may affect the decentralisation of jobs to the suburbs. We have defined creative practitioners as being persons who are occupied in, and seeking to make a living from, creative occupations as defined by the Australian Culture and Leisure Classifications definition of creative enterprises (Cunningham et al, 2003) which includes entertainment (film, music, theatre, television, etc), multimedia, software, graphic design, architecture and design, advertising, writing, publishing and print media, and visual arts. We selected Frankston and Redcliffe initially because they are at the end of the train line, Dandenong for it’s multicultural community and Springfield as a master planned community. We have contacted hundreds of creatives so far, and interviewed over 100. There are a number of key themes but today we will just focus on one: Space
- Cheaper land: Unimproved capital value of land less per m2 in the outer suburbs (Anna to find stats). Availability of commercial space Room for a home based business, with no commute - this is a key benefit of the suburbs, Room for a family - many interviewees moved to the outer suburbs when they commenced a family. A few we spoke with successfully combine family and work and seem happier for it. Room for kids to run. Proximity to relatives - free babysitting / care for elderly parents / living with family while investing in career (software developer). This is a future challenge for urban planners who seek to increase the density of suburban residences.
- Use headspace as title but use symbolic space in unpacking it Association of high density with constant distractions Perception that constant stimulus forms barrier to the flow of original creativity. Perception that time and space is needed to create. But at the same time some creative industries rely upon stimulus eg. conferences/ informal, Software development Perceptions of less distraction in the suburbs, a ‘constant artist retreat’ Do it yourself ethos, creative initiative - Young thrash band who manages his band - arranges performance nights, merchandise, networks globally and has won tours overseas as a result of his efforts. Alternate quote: when I was living in Paris, to go to museums … again and again takes you out of studio work … you’re devoting the energy to … going to see the work … there’s a day that you’re not working in the studio (Frankston Street Artist)
- Are the outer suburbs a blank canvas? (Frith quoting the Bromley contingent, Drake 2003, Delaney 2009) Shannon Mathews - software developer - knows noone and he’s happy anywhere he has a computer and isn’t really interested in the locality. It is not absolutist - we have found there is plenty of things going on both formally and via informal networks. In particular in Dandenong we have been told there is much activity, but much of it occurs in close knit communities that are somewhat closed to outsiders. We respect the insistence of people who live and work there that it is not empty (Elaine Miles). There’s a suggestive wash on the canvas, the canvas has been prepped If time and want to elaborate - Depends upon type of creative activity - artisan vs entrepreneurial FOCUS ON STIMULUS NOT NETWORKING Leunig quote, Volatiles - etc. railing against the suburbs has been their creative stimulius
- There is stimulus but it’s a different kind of stimulus - Nature The people we have spoken with cannot be dismissed as tree changers - this is a theme that has occurred across age groups and sites This correlates with other studies, For example, a Darwin project - ‘Creative Tropical City’ - Susan Luckman found that a key theme for creatives there was nature:: Darwin … reminds us that there is a lot more to creativity than critical mass, global companies and a constant rubbing together with other creative industry practitioners. It reminds us that creativity has long also been deeply connected to space for reflection and to nature as a source of inspiration. In discussion with Darwin’s creative practitioners, it is clear that the natural environment is seen as fundamental to local creativity. As Luckman further argues, the thinking about place and creativity that is reflected here should not be particularly surprising Romanticism - a reaction against the scientific rationalization of industrialisation, replacing it with a heavy focus on nature. An attempt to escape the confines of population growth, urban sprawl, and industrialism. Are they all poets in their garrets? No. Is it indicative of a societal trend towards ecological awareness
- Alternate title : Anti Urbanism Jump this slide if no time, focus on it if there is time.
- It’s important - no longer focus puyrely on inner urban, creative industries are increasingly important driver of australian ec growth. Romanticism, in the suburbs, embracing of nature and space, but encourage them to see the limitations of a full blown romantic model (subsidised art - poets in garrets): don’t want higher density. URBAN PLANNERS MUST TRY TO FIND A MID POINT? If need to keep talking: Eco design, cut commutes etc. New housing development in Dandenong - all houses had solar panels