Exploring the UK's artistic landscape: An in-depth examination of its creative sectors
The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) recently published a report titled "Creative Radar," which sheds light on the impact of creative microclusters on the UK video games industry and beyond. The report, authored by a team of researchers from the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex, was published on November 19, 2020.
The report used survey data and website scraping techniques to identify and map the locations of 200,000 creative businesses in the UK. It identified 709 creative microclusters around the country, with a third of these microclusters located outside of the established large creative clusters.
Creative microclusters offer several key benefits. They foster innovation through close geographic proximity, facilitating knowledge spillovers, enabling collaborative networks among creative professionals, and supporting niche specialization outside of large established creative hubs. These benefits arise because microclusters create localized ecosystems where creative firms and individuals share ideas informally and formally, accelerating innovation and enhancing creative output.
Examples of such creative microclusters outside the large, established clusters in the UK include smaller, specialized creative hubs often found in regional cities or urban neighborhoods. For instance, Bristol is known for its animation and digital media microclusters, while Glasgow has a strong presence in design and music. Brighton focuses on digital creative industries, and Leeds boasts clusters in media and advertising.
These microclusters provide a platform for emerging creative firms to thrive with lower costs and less competition, while maintaining access to creative networks and markets. This insight aligns with broader understanding of creative clusters and spillover effects from geographic proximity enabling innovation.
The report also suggests that more investment should be made in encouraging microclusters to emerge outside of the established large clusters. It recommends supporting the growth of innovative, creative organizations in unexpected places through programs like the Creative Scale Up.
While the report does not necessarily represent the views and interpretations of the PEC or its partner organizations, it does offer valuable insights into the role of creative microclusters in fostering innovation and economic diversity in the UK. The full size version of the map can be found on a specific website link.
- The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre's (PEC) report, "Creative Radar," used data from surveys and website scraping to map the locations of 200,000 creative businesses in the UK, identifying 709 creative microclusters.
- these microclusters, mostly located outside the established large creative clusters, offer benefits such as fostering innovation, facilitating knowledge spillovers, and enabling collaborative networks among creative professionals.
- Examples of creative microclusters outside large, established clusters in the UK include smaller, specialized creative hubs in regional cities or urban neighborhoods, like Bristol's animation and digital media microcluster, Glasgow's design and music microcluster, Brighton's focus on digital creative industries, and Leeds' media and advertising clusters.
- These microclusters offer a platform for emerging creative firms to thrive, providing lower costs, less competition, and maintaining access to creative networks and markets.
- The report suggests that more finance should be invested in encouraging microclusters to emerge outside the established large clusters, recommending programs like the Creative Scale Up to support the growth of innovative, creative organizations in unexpected places.
- The report's insights into the role of creative microclusters in fostering innovation and economic diversity align with broader understanding of creative clusters and spillover effects from geographic proximity.
- The full size version of the map used in the report can be found on a specific website link.
