Creative cities, creative spaces, and urban policy : the impacts of regulations on artist-run centres and independent arts spaces in Vancouver, British Columbia

Kerri Elizabeth Arthurs
2012
Over the last decade, emergence and popularity of the creative city has generated considerable interest in the significance of arts and culture to economic and community development. In this context, artists and cultural facilities are considered essential assets contributing to creativity and innovation by attracting skilled workers and business investments, revitalizing inner city industrial areas, and discursively reimagining and rebranding the city through cultural events and large-scale
more » ... tural infrastructure projects. This research examines the effects of regulations on the creation and operation of artist-run centres and independent arts facilities as essential sources of cultural production and creativity in Vancouver, British Columbia. Drawing on a series of in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with the founding members, administrators, directors/curators, and/or primary operators of twelve artist-run facilities in Vancouver, research examines how artists and arts administrators experience the process of achieving bylaw and regulatory compliance to manage and sustain the operations of non-profit and independent arts spaces in a post-industrial context of policy implementation and urban redevelopment. Research addresses the strategies artists' employ to achieve bylaw and regulatory compliance, as well as the contributions these spaces make to the cultural fabric of the creative city. Finally, research examines artists' primary motivations for continuing their creative practices in increasingly challenging arts market and policy context. Research findings reveal that while non-profit and independent arts spaces contribute to both community revitalization and artistic development, issues pertaining to the urban planning and policy limit their community and economic development potential. As a result, this paper calls for a constructive and collaborative approach to enabling cultural facilities development within local government, and a re-conceptualization of the creative city planning agenda [...]
doi:10.14288/1.0073271 fatcat:k64bhcmaz5g5ddxut6a35c325i