Linking Hubs: Bridging Communities to Amplify Capabilities
In the heart of the UK's thriving creative industries, a new strategy is taking shape to drive economic growth, job creation, and regional development. Known as Creative Corridors, these targeted geographic zones are designed to stimulate innovation, attract investment, and enhance local distinctiveness.
Yesterday, a report titled "Creative Corridors: connecting clusters to unleash potential" was launched, funded by Arts Council England. The article was penned by Emily Hopkins, a Policy Adviser at the Creative PEC, who led the research alongside colleagues from the RSA.
Creative Corridors are place-based policy tools for local leaders, offering a means to harness and support the creative industries. By encouraging the clustering of creative businesses, cultural infrastructure, and talent, these corridors foster innovation ecosystems that drive new intellectual property, attract investment, and enhance local distinctiveness.
The report highlights several Creative Corridors across the UK, including the Northern Corridor(s), the Edinburgh-Glasgow-Dundee Corridor, the Cardiff-Newport-Bristol-Bath-Gloucester/Cheltenham Corridor, the West Midlands Corridor, the East Midlands and Sheffield Corridor, the Cambridge Corridor, and the London supercluster. These corridors are expected to boost sectoral growth through government-backed funding, such as the Local Growth Fund and Creative Places Growth Fund, which unlocks investment confidence and enables practical infrastructure like studios, galleries, co-working spaces, and cultural venues outside London.
The clustering effect encourages business dynamism, entrepreneurship, and creativity, generating new jobs, particularly in freelance and self-employed roles common in the sector. This strategy helps rebalance the UK’s economic map by promoting creative superclusters beyond the capital, such as in the North West, Thames Estuary, and South East.
Investments in creative infrastructure and skills development contribute to improving local accessibility to culture, enhancing city narratives, and attracting further investment, thereby supporting wider urban regeneration and housing projects. For instance, Local Growth Fund investments have successfully catalyzed regeneration linked to flagship cultural venues, improving the attractiveness and economic vitality of key gateway locations.
Policy frameworks underpinning Creative Corridors emphasize devolved governance structures, reinforcing regional leadership in driving sustainable creative sector growth and community empowerment.
The Creative Corridors Action Areas Framework is an evolving concept based on research into creative clusters and microclusters in the UK. The Creative PEC's first State of the Nations report, "Geographies of Creativity," presented experimental geospatial analysis pointing to seven broad geographic areas in the UK's nations and regions that could become Creative Corridors.
Metropolitan mayors Tracy Brabin and Andy Burnham expressed enthusiasm for the benefits of creative corridors at the launch, underscoring their relevance in the current UK political landscape. The report and launch event are now available for download and online viewing.
The creative industries are a significant economic success story for the UK, contributing £71 billion to the UK GVA in 2019, with a majority coming from London and the M25 region. However, the potential of Creative Corridors lies in unlocking the economic power of the creative industries across the UK, stimulating innovative economic activity, creating high-value jobs, and driving inclusive regional development through culture-led regeneration and place-making.
- The new strategy, Creative Corridors, is aimed at driving economic growth, job creation, and regional development in the UK's thriving creative industries.
- Designated as place-based policy tools, Creative Corridors are geographical zones that stimulate innovation, attract investment, and enhance local distinctiveness.
- Yesterday, a report titled "Creative Corridors: connecting clusters to unleash potential" was launched, funded by Arts Council England and authored by Emily Hopkins of the Creative PEC.
- Creative Corridors foster innovation ecosystems by encouraging the clustering of creative businesses, cultural infrastructure, and talent, which drives new intellectual property, attracts investment, and boosts local distinctiveness.
- Key Creative Corridors highlighted in the report include the Northern Corridor(s), the Edinburgh-Glasgow-Dundee Corridor, and the London supercluster, among others, which are expected to receive government-backed funding for sectoral growth.
- The clustering effect encourages business dynamism, entrepreneurship, and creativity, generating new jobs, particularly in freelance and self-employed roles common in the sector.
- Investments in creative infrastructure and skills development contribute to improving local accessibility to culture, enhancing city narratives, and attracting further investment, thereby supporting wider urban regeneration and housing projects.
- The Creative Corridors Action Areas Framework, an evolving concept based on research into creative clusters and microclusters in the UK, aims to rebalance the UK’s economic map by promoting creative superclusters beyond London.
