Urban Regeneration: From the Arts `Feel Good' Factor to the Cultural Economy: A Case Study of Hoxton, London

TLDR

Urban regeneration theories often rely on instrumental views of culture and post‑industrial city frameworks, yet these approaches inadequately explain the rise of cultural industries, as illustrated by Hoxton’s supposed cultural makeover. This paper critically examines the role of culture in the ongoing regeneration of post‑industrial cities. The study uses a case‑study of Hoxton Square, a seminal cultural quarter in North London, to analyze its transformation. The authors argue that cultural industries function as an industry rather than mere consumption, revealing a more complex, multifaceted causal relationship in urban regeneration.

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine critically the role of culture in the continued development, or regeneration, of `post-industrial' cities. First, it is critical of instrumental conceptions of culture with regard to urban regeneration. Secondly, it is critical of the adequacy of the conceptual framework of the `post-industrial city' (and the `service sector') as a basis for the understanding and explanation of the rise of cultural industries in cities. The paper is based upon a case study of the transformation of a classic, and in policy debates a seminal, `cultural quarter': Hoxton Square, North London. Hoxton, and many areas like it, are commonly presented as derelict parts of cities which many claim have, through a magical injection of culture, been transformed into dynamic destinations. The paper suggests a more complex and multifaceted causality based upon a robust concept of the cultural industries as industry rather than as consumption.