Cultural and Creative Districts as Spaces for Value Change

This chapter considers the notion of value appropriation embodied in physical space, as well as the process through which value is constructed through space. Drawing on the case study of the Ouseburn Valley in the North East of England, this chapter examines the value that comes from the development of a place, as well as the value embodied in a place as site of activism, and the notoriety of a locale’s brand. The chapter positions the Ouseburn Valley as a cultural and creative district in the North East of England, and a primary space for local activism. The chapter is organised in three parts. The first part looks at the role of activism in conceptual terms and provides a backdrop to the examination of the Ouseburn Trust in the second section, which details how a group of volunteers have transferred the Ouseburn Valley in Newcastle from a site of industrial dereliction to a vibrant creative and cultural district within 30 years. The chapter then considers what activism means in conceptual and practical terms. In the third section, the chapter considers whether the creative and cultural activities of the district and the redevelopment of the Valley has value socially and whether this amounts to activism or urban revitalisation, with a potential risk of cultural-led gentrification.
The chapter therefore considers:  The meaning of value as a spatially and community embodied form.  The process of value appropriation through redevelopment.  Spaces of activism.  Areas as sites of aesthetic meaning and notoriety branding, and a primary conduit for value creation.