The Added Value of Creative Residencies

Abstract

Besides being the fastest growing sector in the Netherlands, and a pioneer in working standards, the creative sector is believed to have a positive effect on economic growth. Multi-tenant buildings occupied by creative sector companies, i.e. creative residencies, are thus assumed to improve the neighborhood’s socio-economic quality. A lack of objective insights however, gives rise to the discussion about whether the creative sector indeed provides added value for it’s location, and if so, what this added value exactly entails.
Therefore, this thesis provides a more objective approach in measuring the added value of creative residencies, by combining theory, emerging data sources and statistical modelling. Using Jane Jacobs’ theory on vibrant neighborhoods and data retrieved from the social media platform Facebook, a vibrancy model is constructed through factor analysis. This model is then applied to the city of Rotterdam, to assess the impact of four different creative residencies.
The results show that these cases are indeed located within vibrant clusters. However, the exact results, in terms of dispersion of the clusters and change over time, differ per case. Based on a cross-case comparison, the distinguishing case characteristics influencing the contrasting results are assessed, leading to a number of hypotheses. These hypotheses however, are still open for interpretation, providing opportunities for further research. Nevertheless, a strong connection between a creative residency and it’s neighborhood, through the presence of diverse hospitality and an open, public character, appears to contribute to a more dispersed vibrant cluster, and thus a higher added value for the neighborhood in terms of vibrancy.