Geography of the Creative Industries
Introduction
Companies, organisations and practitioners in the creative industries tend to be physically near each other, often in localised clusters. But where do creative clusters tend to appear? What impact do they have on people, companies and places? And where can researchers – and crucially, policymakers – focus their efforts. The research in this theme looks at identifying where creative businesses are located, why they cluster together and the impact of these creative clusters on innovation.
Publications and Posts
Creative radar: Mapping the UK’s creative industries
Major urban centres are the sorts of places we would expect to find creative businesses clustered to…
Mapping and examining the determinants of England’s rural creative microclusters
More targeted support could unleash the potential of Rural Creative Enterprises It is well documente…
Supporting the Creative Industries: The impact of the ‘Preston Model’ in Lancashire
The economic geography of the UK is highly uneven, with many of the largest clusters concentrating i…
Createch activity in the UK
Createch is an emerging field that combines technology and creativity in novel ways. This report is …
Cultural brokerage and creative clusters
Future Screens NI and levelling-up in a pandemic environment Future Screens NI is one of nine creati…
Creative Radar 2021: The impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s creative industries
This is the second report from the Creative Radar series, by PEC researchers at the University of Su…
The importance of a UK-wide recovery plan for the creative industries
New research shows that following the global financial crisis in 2008 we saw an accelerated tre…
How policymakers can support local growth in the creative industries
As part of our research agenda around local growth, we consulted our Industry Champions on…
Policy briefing: Creative industries innovation in seaside resorts and country towns
This policy brief is based on a PEC Discussion Paper: Creative Industries Innovation in Seaside Reso…
Placemaking, Culture and Covid
In September 2021, we consulted a Panel of our Industry Champions on their experiences of …
Creative places: Growing the creative industries across the UK
This is in part because of the economic importance of the sector: one in eight UK businesses are par…
Mapping the R&D landscape for creative technologies
Creative technologies (“CreaTech”) will play an increasingly big role driving innovation and g…
Introducing the Creative PEC’s Research Fellows Network
By Professor Hasan Bakhshi, Director Creative PEC and Professor Giorgio Fazio, Director of Research …
‘One Creative North’ plans finalised at summit ahead of Convention of the North
30 organisations meet to set out a bold new vision for the north of England’s creative industries To…
Press release: With coordinated action North of England based creative industries could add £10bn to the UK economy
Today, the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and the Creative Industries Polic…
Press Release: ‘Creative Corridors’ can be the key to the UK’s creative industries’ ambitions
Today (Saturday 16 September), three major institutions announce a joint agreement to work together …
Press release: Relationship between creative industries and gentrification overstated says new study
August 2023 – It’s a commonly held view that the arts drive gentrification. Many city leaders …
Press Release: Could the UK be a creative haven for writers? With support from policymakers, yes, says new report
17 August 2023 – The latest Authors’ Earnings Survey, from researchers at the CREATe Research …
New research calls for change in film, TV and games sectors to improve access and progression for disadvantaged young people
While the film, TV and games industries are one of the UK’s greatest success stories, new research c…
Press release: Landmark Creative Industries report says: prioritise creative education, end unequal access to the arts and focus on the regenerative power of the creative sector
27 April 2023 – Today, the Creative PEC launches a landmark report – The State…
Press release: Growing skills shortage & international trade decline post-Brexit
NEWS RELEASE Download the Press ReleaseEmbargoed: 00.01 UK time Thursday 30th March Two papers …
Press Release: New Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre co-hosts announced
Newcastle University and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) have been announced as new hosts of the Cre…
Press release: Major review of job quality in the Creative Industries
Published today: 23rd February 2023 Download the Press Release The Creative Industries – from …
Press release: Landmark report on the Creative Industries and Climate Emergency heralded as a ‘call to action’
A sector by sector overview of activity taking place in the creative industries to achieve Net Zero …
Too many demands are being placed on universities to support their regional economies, without sufficient support and partnership
The creative industries have long been heralded as a UK success story. The creative economy grew at …
Looking at regional inequalities in the UK’s creative industries
The UK’s Creative Industries have been growing rapidly, both in terms of employment and economic out…
How can policy makers help rural creative businesses contribute to Levelling Up?
The creative industries have the potential to play a major role in the development of rural communit…
PEC’s comment on the 2021 Spending Review and Autumn Budget
The UK’s creative industries – from film to fashion, and from video games to the performing ar…
The austerity decade: local government spending on culture
Local government has been hit hard by austerity. On average, grants from central to local government…
When policy meets place: ‘Levelling Up’ and the culture and creative industries
The UK Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ agenda aims to address regional disparities in economic prosperit…
Small engines of growth: Understanding creative microclusters
Think about a creative cluster: What comes to mind? Creative clusters are the buzzing centres of the…
A first look at connections between the presence of creative industries and the wider urban economy
Creative industries have long been a focus of urban researchers and policymakers. There is a good re…
How location impacts the creative industries
Location matters, especially in the creative industries. The area of work I am leading will be looki…
Creative radar: Mapping the UK’s creative industries
Major urban centres are the sorts of places we would expect to find creative businesses clustered to…
Mapping and examining the determinants of England’s rural creative microclusters
More targeted support could unleash the potential of Rural Creative Enterprises It is well documente…
Supporting the Creative Industries: The impact of the ‘Preston Model’ in Lancashire
The economic geography of the UK is highly uneven, with many of the largest clusters concentrating i…
Createch activity in the UK
Createch is an emerging field that combines technology and creativity in novel ways. This report is …
Cultural brokerage and creative clusters
Future Screens NI and levelling-up in a pandemic environment Future Screens NI is one of nine creati…
Creative Radar 2021: The impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s creative industries
This is the second report from the Creative Radar series, by PEC researchers at the University of Su…
In Numbers
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London
London and the Greater South East
North of England
of UK createch companies are based in London (Createch activity in the UK 2021).
78% of AI and Data createch businesses based in the UK are located in London.