London has voted to remain in Europe, the creative industries want open borders, and bright ideas are still getting people up in the morning.
What a week. An England loss against Iceland, the U.K’s decision to end its 43-year membership of the European Union – and rain every day in summer. To some, the future might be looking like a very bleak place.
At Futurecity, it’s our job to find opportunities and good ideas in new places – whether it’s an emerging district, or a new sort of world. We are optimists.
Here’s why.
Placemaking crosses borders.
Culture is a robust global currency – it rises in value year-on-year, and pulls investment to an area from businesses, government, philanthropy and tourism. Futurecity has been immersed in cultural placemaking projects in different cities for over a decade. We’ve provided substantial funding, often from the private sector, for arts organisations and creative studio space, brokering new partnerships with developers who have realised the huge returns of investing in cultural capital.
Successful places don’t stand still.
‘Cityness’ itself is a global export. But the qualities that make a successful city – varied, lucid, pleasurable, beautiful, surprising experiences – depend on a commitment to culture. London’s new Mayor has pledged to protect the city’s arts and culture because he understands that culture is London’s trump card. Few places on earth can rival it, but with the right support and partnerships – and with optimism – there’s no reason why this cultural prosperity can’t be adopted by other places, too. Commissioning art from around the world has equipped Futurecity with an ability to navigate global borders and international relationships. Based in London, we are now exporting our vision for the Cultural City to clients in the United States and Australia. It’s this forward motion that needs to be continued by all of us in the global market.
Change breeds ingenuity.
Cities are factories for ideas, producing cultural and knowledge capital that runs intrinsically through other sectors, from leisure and tourism to transport and infrastructure. Our mapping of new places has to work at all scales and in all contexts: finding, understanding and activating the creative DNA, from local neighbourhoods to district-wide cultural masterplans.
In times of economic uncertainty and social division, cities can teach us a lot about resilience. A collective instinct for new opportunities, development, adaptability and creativity is what makes cities grow and prosper. Activating the creative potential within a district future-proofs it.
Futurecity has tested the conviction that with vision and imagination, anything is possible. We collaborate with like-minded, creative people, working at all levels in the art world, the public sector and the development industry.
While the EU referendum exposed dissatisfaction and resentment at the scale of the nation, cities will need to retain an outward, participatory, collaborative and ambitious attitude – it’s what makes them work.
The world is to play for.
This week a continent reshapes itself, and the creative industries prepare for a different relationship with Europe. We believe that embedding world-class culture, with both global and local relevance, is the surest way to fire up our cities for a successful future.
Cultural placemaking is a vital long-term investment for cities around the world: it creates important destinations, raises civic esteem in a global context, adds commercial and social value, stimulates new business opportunities and reveals fascinating local stories worth sharing.
Let’s keep investing in culture. Let’s think creatively and collaboratively. And let’s remain optimistic.
The future depends on it.
Brave New World
30/6/2016
London has voted to remain in Europe, the creative industries want open borders, and bright ideas are still getting people up in the morning.
What a week. An England loss against Iceland, the U.K’s decision to end its 43-year membership of the European Union – and rain every day in summer. To some, the future might be looking like a very bleak place.
At Futurecity, it’s our job to find opportunities and good ideas in new places – whether it’s an emerging district, or a new sort of world. We are optimists.
Here’s why.
Placemaking crosses borders.
Culture is a robust global currency – it rises in value year-on-year, and pulls investment to an area from businesses, government, philanthropy and tourism. Futurecity has been immersed in cultural placemaking projects in different cities for over a decade. We’ve provided substantial funding, often from the private sector, for arts organisations and creative studio space, brokering new partnerships with developers who have realised the huge returns of investing in cultural capital.
Successful places don’t stand still.
‘Cityness’ itself is a global export. But the qualities that make a successful city – varied, lucid, pleasurable, beautiful, surprising experiences – depend on a commitment to culture. London’s new Mayor has pledged to protect the city’s arts and culture because he understands that culture is London’s trump card. Few places on earth can rival it, but with the right support and partnerships – and with optimism – there’s no reason why this cultural prosperity can’t be adopted by other places, too. Commissioning art from around the world has equipped Futurecity with an ability to navigate global borders and international relationships. Based in London, we are now exporting our vision for the Cultural City to clients in the United States and Australia. It’s this forward motion that needs to be continued by all of us in the global market.
Change breeds ingenuity.
Cities are factories for ideas, producing cultural and knowledge capital that runs intrinsically through other sectors, from leisure and tourism to transport and infrastructure. Our mapping of new places has to work at all scales and in all contexts: finding, understanding and activating the creative DNA, from local neighbourhoods to district-wide cultural masterplans.
In times of economic uncertainty and social division, cities can teach us a lot about resilience. A collective instinct for new opportunities, development, adaptability and creativity is what makes cities grow and prosper. Activating the creative potential within a district future-proofs it.
Futurecity has tested the conviction that with vision and imagination, anything is possible. We collaborate with like-minded, creative people, working at all levels in the art world, the public sector and the development industry.
While the EU referendum exposed dissatisfaction and resentment at the scale of the nation, cities will need to retain an outward, participatory, collaborative and ambitious attitude – it’s what makes them work.
The world is to play for.
This week a continent reshapes itself, and the creative industries prepare for a different relationship with Europe. We believe that embedding world-class culture, with both global and local relevance, is the surest way to fire up our cities for a successful future.
Cultural placemaking is a vital long-term investment for cities around the world: it creates important destinations, raises civic esteem in a global context, adds commercial and social value, stimulates new business opportunities and reveals fascinating local stories worth sharing.
Let’s keep investing in culture. Let’s think creatively and collaboratively. And let’s remain optimistic.
The future depends on it.
Image: Robert Laymont