Making Cultural Clusters: New Strategies for Culture-led Urban Redevelopment Dr. CHEN, Yun-Chung Assistant Professor, Division of Social Science, HKUST Dr. SZETO, May Mirana Assistant Professor, Comparative Literature, HKU Note: This research is

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Making Cultural Clusters New Strategies for
Culture-led Urban Redevelopment Dr. CHEN,
Yun-Chung Assistant Professor, Division of
Social Science, HKUSTDr. SZETO, May Mirana
Assistant Professor, Comparative Literature,
HKUNote This research is supported by the CPU
(Project No. HKUST6001-PPR-3)
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Outline

• 1. What is a Cultural Cluster?
• The typology of cultural clusters
• The advantage of sticking together
• 2. Example the cultural clusters in Central
• The Art Gallery cluster
• The strengths and weaknesses
• 3. New Strategies

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Industrial Cluster the original idea

• The idea of industrial cluster comes from Ahfred
  Marshall
• The advantage of external economy of scale
• Cut production cost (flexible specialization)
• Cut transportation cost (proximity)
• Shared infrastructure (e.g. trade fair trade
  association training school collaborative RD)
• Shared human resources (save retraining cost)
• Collective Innovation (synergy through
  interaction)

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Industrial Clusters in the Third Italy
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Cultural Cluster

• Narrow definition industries that produce
  cultural products
• Large and Highly Industrialized sectors
  Hollywood in Los Angeles Fashion Design in New
  York
• Small Medium sized low industrialized
  sectors The Movie industry, Jewelry industries,
  Lee Tung Street Wedding Card Printing Industry in
  Hong Kong
• Broad definition
• a system of relations set in a
  territorially-bounded area, which integrates the
  process of valorisation of material and
  immaterial cultural resources with
  infrastructures and different productive sectors
  associated to the process itself

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Typology of Cultural Clusters

• 1. Cultural Infrastructure museum cluster in
  Tsim Sha Tsui, West Kowloon Cultural District
• 2. Artist Village (Cultural Production) Cattle
  Depot, Fotan in Shatin, JCACC
• 3. Art Bazaar (Cultural Consumption) Galleries
  and Antique stores in Central
• 4. Governments themed-mall style urban
  redevelopment Garden of the Marriage in
  Wanchai and Old Shop Street in Central
• 5. Community settlement preservation Open
  wet-market preservation in Wanchai and Central

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The advantage of sticking together

• 1. External economy of scale flexible
  production
• 2. Brand effect attract more customers
• 3. Competition cooperation specialization
• 4. Shared Infrastructure e.g. rehearsal room
• 5. Shared human resources retain talent
• 6. Collective Innovation RD center
• 7. Collective Advocacy trade association
• 8. Community building localization ? cultural
  identity

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Cultural Clusters in Central

• 1. Cultural infrastructures?
• 2. Artist VillageResident art groups in and
  around Sheung Wan Civic Centre
• 3. Art BazzarGalleries, Antique stores
• 4. Themed-mall style urban redevelopment Old
  Shop Street
• 5. Community settlement preservation The
  Edinburgh Place complex Central Police Station
  Graham Street/Peel Street wet-market

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Art Bazaar Galleries in Central
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Distribution of Galleries in Hong Kong
Central 47 69.1
Sheung Wan 5 7.4
Wan Chai 4 5.9
Causeway Bay 1 1.5
Happy Valley 1 1.5
Aberdeen 1 1.5
Chai Wan 1 1.5
Tsim Sha Tsui 1 1.5
Shek Kip Mei 1 1.5
Kwai Chung 1 1.5
Kwung Tung 1 1.5
Fo Tan 2 2.9
Sai Kung 1 1.5
TOTAL 68 100
Source Art Walk 2009, compiled by Jeff Leung
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Artists featured in the Galleries
China 33 48.5
Western Europe 12 17.6
Southeast Asia 11 16.2
Hong Kong 5 7.4
Eastern Europe 4 5.9
Korea 2 2.9
Japan 1 1.5
68 100
Over 70 of the artwork by artists from a
particular region\ Source Art Walk 2009,
compiled by Jeff Leung
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Why Central?

• 1) Clients concentrated in Central FIRE sectors
  (Finance, Insurance and Real Estate)
• 2) Lively business district good shopping spot
• 3) Near traditional markets
• 4) High ceiling (tenement houses)

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Weaknesses and Strengths

• 1. External economy of scale X X
• 2. Brand effect attract more customers v v v
• 3. Competition cooperation cooperation X
• 4. Shared Infrastructure
• Asia Art Archive, Art Walk, Art Map Auction
  House v
• Ambience of built environment v v v
• 5. Shared human resources retain talent X
• 6. knowledge spillover gallery operators will
  attend openings of other galleries v
• 7. Collective Advocacy trade association X X
• 8. Community building local identity X

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How to strengthen the cluster?

• Collective advocacy
• Hong Kong Art Fair (TDC)
• Arts Festival (Hong Kong Tourism Board)
• Joint Promotion RD (Gallery Association
  Gallery-Antique alliance (cross-sector alliance))
  
• Preserve the ambience and cultural diversity
• Actively participate in
• Graham Street / Peel Street Wet-market Central
  Police Station preservation
• Alternative redevelopment strategies (rethinking
  further soho-ization)
• Localization Build community identity together
  with residents

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Implications for the WKCD are we ready?

• Embedded in the local regional neighborhoods
  vs. Segregation
• Integrate with large West Kowloon districts
• Full accessibility
• Networks of squares and green belts
• Networks of cultural facilities and spaces
• Art production (Artist village / AIR)
• Art education base
• Small private art venue

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URAs themed-mall plan Old Shop Street
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Alternative proposal
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Alternative Proposal