Background
Informed by strong and robust data and building on the innovative approach to monitoring and evaluation taken by Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 (UK CoC 2021), this project demonstrates the transformative impact of the UK CoC 2021 programme and the role that arts and culture can and should play in the economic and social wellbeing of culturally diverse neighbourhoods, towns, and cities. Led by the University of Warwick, the project has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation
Adopting an evidence-based approach, the project demonstrates the value of Arts and Humanities UK CoC 2021-driven research alongside economic, health, wellbeing and civic pride measures, while also connecting with the language of government – to placemaking and place-based research; levelling up; and culture and heritage capital. It provides case studies of how the ‘city of culture journey’ can lead to transformational change in bidding cities.
Strands of Work
The project includes three strands of work:
An initial ‘Towards a Research-Informed Approach’ document − released on 22nd June
This includes:
- a brief history of UK Cities of Culture including DCMS expectations around arts and culture as a catalyst for place regeneration and prosperity
- how have previous UK Cities of Culture and other contending cities placed arts and culture at the centre of their civic ambitions and what are their expectations for the distinctive impact of culture-led place making
- asking what the dimensions of value are that the arts and culture contribute towards and how are these grounded in the experiences of UK Cities of Culture and contending cities; social, economic, health and wellbeing, civic pride, place recognition, new place narratives, skills and talent development etc.
- providing thought leadership and advice on research questions to inform the criteria and guidance for future UK City of Culture processes.
The Future Trends series − released on 8 December 2022 − discusses ways of thinking about the value of culture: the importance of research in understanding the place of culture in everyday lives, its impact on local people, society, economy and wellbeing and prosperity at large; and how this research-informed approach connects with the needs of policy making.
Each title in the series presents an expert analysis of current and future trends concerning key concepts or ideas, supported by case study evidence from UK CoC 2021:
- Innovations in Economic Impact Assessment
- Social Value Creation and Measurement in the Cultural Sector
- Reasons to Co-create
- Addressing Cultural and Other Inequalities at Scale
- Maximising and Measuring the Value of Heritage in Place
- Measuring the Impact of Arts and Culture on Wellbeing
- Building Trust in Policing through Arts Collaboration
A series of 4−6 public presentations, panels and expert responses organised thematically and drawing on the content from the publications will be co-hosted by UK CoC 2021, UK CoC 2025 and the AHRC.
The first of the roundtable events − Connecting Place, Culture, Research and Impact: Stories From Coventry − took place on 3 February 2023 at The Box, Fargo Village, Coventry.
