This volume is one of a set of four edited collections drawn from the Leisure Studies Association conference Making Space: Leisure, Tourism and Renewal held at the University of the West of England in July 2006.
The chapters selected for this volume reflect multi- and interdisciplinary analyses of the ways in which leisure, sport, tourism and the wider cultural sector play key roles in the regeneration of urban environments.
As such, the chapters apply the disciplines of sociology, geography and economics to policy-making and planning in urban studies.Many of the chapters focus on the use of leisure, culture and tourism to regenerate declining former industrial cities and regions.
This field of research is now well-established in the UK and the chapters collected here include case studies of the role of the cultural sector in regeneration projects in Birmingham, Dundee, Glasgow, Manchester and Wolverhampton.
A number of the chapters are international in scope and demonstrate the increasing recognition of the role of leisure, sport and tourism in the development and redevelopment of urban areas in post-industrial countries including Germany, Japan, Italy and the United States.In chapter one, 'Quick fix or sustainable solution?Cultural clustering for urban regeneration in the UK', John McCarthy examines culture-led urban regeneration, focusing on the widespread development of 'cultural quarters' in the UK's urban areas.
McCarthy demonstrates that the cultural quarter concept is imperfectly understood and that cultural quarters cannot be uncritically and serially replicated throughout the UK's urban areas.
He argues that there are different models of cultural quarters, particularly depending on whether they are formally or informally incorporated within statutory spatial plans, and whether they are cultural production-led or cultural consumption-led.
These and other issues are illustrated with reference to the contrasting cases of Manchester, Glasgow, Wolverhampton and Dundee.It is concluded that "there is a clear need for a more coherent body of knowledge in relation to cultural quarters, with more sophisticated typologies of approaches...to promote policy with the capacity to achieve long-term regeneration" (p. 14). In chapter two, 'The role of leisure and tourism in post-industrial cities: sustainable mixed-use development in Japan and the UK', Meiko Murayama investigates the role and impacts of the leisure and tourism sectors in designing and managing regeneration schemes in post-industrial cities with reference to high-profile regeneration projects in Birmingham (Brindleyplace) and Tokyo (Odaiba).The Chapter analyses leisure and tourism spaces created within large-scale urban redevelopments and explores "how they sit amongst other uses and communities as part of what are termed 'amenity environments'" (p. 19). Murayama discusses how and what different actors in consumption-led regeneration schemes should try to deliver and maintain within amenity environments.
Here it is asserted that the leisure and tourism sectors "are not sufficiently involved at critical stages in the planning and the management of post-industrial cities, despite the ways in which such sectors impact on these areas" (p. 19).In chapter three, 'Leisure and tourism: a concept for the economic regeneration of heavily industrialized regions: The example of the German Ruhrgebiet', Walter Gronau and Andreas Kagemeier detail the transition of the Ruhrgebiet region of Germany from an industrial landscape to one in which leisure and tourism are of increased importance, through a process of what they term 'leisurefication'. The aim has been to economically regenerate a deindustrialised region through 'industrial tourism' in an area which, on the face of it, is not naturally endowed with obvious historical or classical sites.
Therefore industrial heritage and its features have been converted and marketed in an attempt to regenerate the region.
Gronau and Kagemeier point to a number of challenges and implications of the process of 'leisurefication' relating to infrastructure, awareness of the region, and management of the emerging tourism and leisure landscapes.Sonia Ferrari and Giuseppe Emanuele Adamo, in chapter four, explore the potential of experiential and creative tourism as an urban redevelopment strategy in 'Experiential and creative tourism: repositioning policies and urban regeneration'.They argue that increasing place competition is forcing cities to adopt new strategies to differentiate themselves, and that the rise of the experience economy and creative tourism offer potential sources of distinction. Ferrari and Giuseppe illustrate how the severe economic problems experienced by Turin have forced the city to reinvent itself through flagship events (most notably the Winter Olympics) and architecture and experiential tourism demonstrating that these strategies have had a positive impact on the image of the city as well as tourism arrivals.In chapter five Harriet Dismore and Ian Wellard address the issue of 'Making spaces for sport and the arts' by considering the impact of the UK Space for Sport and the Arts (SSA) initiative for schools.
Funded by Sport England, The Arts Council and The Big Lottery, SSA "aims to improve sport and arts facilities in primary schools, for dual school and community use, in areas of social and economic need" (p. 83).Data on the impact of the SSA were collected through questionnaire surveys and interviews, and case studies that included the points of view of a broad range of stakeholders were constructed.
The findings show that schools participating in SSA had better access to sport and arts facilities and were introducing a broad range of activities. However, financial and management pressures meant that some schools found it difficult to serve the needs of the local community in addition to the perceived needs of the school.
In chapter six Julie Whitfield examines 'Using purpose built conference venues as a tool for regeneration: forecasting new build'.She analyses the history of conference centre development and shows that many tourism destinations have developed conference tourism as a means of diversifying and avoiding market stagnation.
Through a survey of conference destinations, she forecasts the future demand for conference venues in the UK, indicating that a total of almost 30 new venues will need to be constructed between 2010 and 2019.
The results indicated that destination managers thought there would be continued market growth in the future accompanied by more competition as the number of venues increases.
Whitfield concludes that with so many destinations adding meeting capacity, there may be a danger of the current 'conference bubble' bursting in the future.Chapters seven and eight provide detailed insights into the role of the cultural sector in the regeneration of Dundee, Scotland. In chapter seven Catherine Di Domenico and Marialaura Di Domenico examine 'Heritage and urban renewal in Dundee: learning from the past when planning for the future of a post-industrial city'.
The chapter presents a detailed historical account of the industrial decline of Dundee from the late 1970s onwards: "For example, they began investing in the three 'T's of teaching, tourism and technology, due to the decline in importance of the formerly dominant three 'J's of jute, jam and journalism for which the city had become famous" (p. 115). The chapter explores the 'Dundee Project' and its development of partnership working between Dundee City Council, Scottish Enterprise Tayside, Tayside Police and NHS Tayside.
The chapter then goes on to examine the promotion of Dundee as the 'City of Discovery' reflecting Dundee's maritime rather than industrial heritage.Chapter eight then continues the historical account of Dundee by providing a critical examination of present-day 'Stobswell - A Case Study in Micro-Marketing as a Tool of Urban Regeneration'. The chapter, by Pat Sedakat, Barry Worthington and Roy Hutchison reports on an attempt to develop a 'micro-marketing strategy' for a district of Dundee affected by industrial decline and where urban renewal, social inclusion and community development have been identified as priority policy areas.
The techniques are explored as a way to "'sell the community to itself', and thus nurture notions of community identity and pride as an intrinsic part of the process of renewal and regeneration" (p. 129). They conclude that, although this is marketing at a micro level, the approach "might later be adapted to form part of a more conventional marketing exercise promoting 'Dundee - the community' as a tourist destination" (p. 129).Chapters nine and ten examine the inter-relationships between economy and cultural production, with chapter nine exploring the ways in which a developing art scene has emerged in Las Vegas as a consequence of the increasing wealth of the city and the perceived need for visitor sites and venues to be attached to 'high culture' in order to attract and therefore create more wealth from visitors.
Nicky Ryan, in her chapter titled 'Vegas at the Tipping Point!', discusses the ways in which such a transformation encompasses three strategies for reframing the city's image: "'retooling' urban neighbourhoods by increasing opportunities for tourism and commerce; 'disneyfication'; and 'postmodern upscaling' where the arts are used to attract an elite international audience" (p. 142).In chapter ten, David C. Roberts engages with the rapidly emerging field of sport tourism to examine the 'Qualitative economic impacts from the AT&T National Pro-Am Golf Tournament' by presenting an economic analysis that extends beyond simple estimations of the quantitative effects of sports activities.
This emphasis, he argues, "has often minimized the qualitative costs and benefits associated with major sports events and their impact on tourism and local economic development" (p. 175). Such events can, he argues, result in qualitative benefits including "increased reputation as a tourist destination, local economic development and welfare improvements" (p. 175). Roberts also points to the need to measure and assess the qualitative costs of hosting such events including "increased traffic congestion and displacement of attendees that results from holding multiple events simultaneously during the peak tourist season" (p. 175).He concurs that sporting events can impact on local and regional areas in the form of economic, tourism and development effects and that "these effects will differ depending upon the significance of the direct and indirect impacts of such events" (p. 175).In combination, the ten chapters contained within this volume provide but a taster of the myriad ways in which leisure, sport, tourism and the wider cultural sector play a role in the development and redevelopment of our urban landscapes, experiences and economies.
As such the chapters illustrate the need not only for more research but for strategic and multi-disciplinary thinking in policy and practice if we are to integrate leisure, culture and tourism into sustainable urban planning that addresses the 'triple-bottom-line of environmental, social and economic agendas.
