Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison and The Creative City Pt. 2

By, Dr. Tara A. Inniss

Department of History and Philosophy, Cave Hill Campus, UWI

What is a Creative City?

Creative cities are urban centres that inspire creative thinking among the people who live and work in them. People bring creative thinking to life and they become the human capital of a city’s economy. In 2001 (a decade before Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage property) The United Nations Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, stated ‘We welcome the economic role of cities and towns in our globalizing world and the progress made in forging public-private partnerships and strengthening small enterprises and micro-enterprises. Cities and towns hold the potential to maximise the benefits and to offset the negative consequences of globalization. Well-managed cities can provide an economic environment capable of generating employment opportunities, as well as offering a diversity of goods and services.’

Over the past decade, small and medium-sized cities in Europe, many of which have historic urban centres, have been investing in the development of their creative potential. Culture and heritage are seen as key planks for urban regeneration and the development of the creative industries. In fact, throughout industrialized urban markets, the culture sector is seen as a necessary aspect of public spending that can stimulate job creation and economic development. Industries that promote multimedia (TV, radio and film) and events organised around the culinary, musical, theatrical and literary arts can encourage innovation and small business development in the creative industries.

Research suggests that the stimulation of creativity in urban spaces is often the result of a variety of factors, including government-led policy and programming that engages meaningfully with the private sector to form partnerships that stimulate entrepreneurship and small enterprise development. There is also a number of planning activities in historic centres that can also support creative development. Of course, at the core of any society embarking on the creative economy, there must be talented people who drive innovation and who are skilled in art, design, fashion, music and performance.

Policy makers and planners, especially those responsible for the built environment, must find ways to leverage cultural assets by designating spaces for the development of the creative arts, not only within schools, but also in public spaces that are used for recreation, commerce, and tourism. They must understand the needs of creative people to network, exhibit and exchange ideas in order to attract and retain a talented and creative workforce. This cannot only be achieved in a rigid education system in which grammar and mathematics are privileged above other life skills. Increasingly, younger generations need to participate in dynamic spaces that encourage critical and creative thinking through technology while also reflecting on their history, culture and identity.

Therefore, creativity-friendly spaces are needed for all generations to reflect and innovate. The UNESCO World Heritage property, Old and New Towns of Edinburgh in Scotland is a good example of how an historic urban centre has leveraged the creative potential of its heritage to unlock economic benefits through culture. Home to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is the largest arts festival in the world, Edinburgh has retained its historic fabric through adaptive reuse and complimentary modern design to host a variety of performance artists every August in an event that generates over £1 million in ticket sales per year.

A 2011 BBC report assessed the value of almost a dozen annual festivals (including science, storytelling, jazz and military tattoo festivals) in Edinburgh at over £260 million in visitor spending. One figure out of the report suggested that for every £1 of public subsidy, festivals generated £35 in visitor spending. Moreover, the potential of job creation in the hospitality sector as well as the stimulation of theatre arts, scientific and technological innovation in the historic centre are clear. And festivals or event planning are only a couple of examples of the economic potential of the creative city.

Research also suggests that Creative Cities need special assets to stimulate innovation. It is not surprising that like several small and medium historic centres in Europe where this model is being pursued, Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison displays similar historic and contemporary attributes for the successful planning of the creative city. See Fig. 1

Fig. 1 Past and Present Features of Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison -- Ingredients for a Creative City

Many of the factors that provided UNESCO with the justification to inscribe Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison as a World Heritage property also fuel the site’s creative engine and its economic potential. The Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) highlighted that, Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison participated in the international trade of goods and the transmission of ideas and cultures that characterized colonial enterprise in the Atlantic World. Today, Bridgetown is poised to continue this tradition through the protection and enhancement of the OUV of its tangible and intangible heritage and provide spaces for creativity and the transmission of ideas and cultures in our globalizing world.