Place as a guiding principle for spatial design of creative clusters in urban areas

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that quality of place plays a key role in the emergence and performance of creative clusters. Nevertheless, it is still an embryonic area of investigation in urban design. This chapter presents a comprehensive model to analyse the role of quality of place in clusters of cultural and creative industries. It is based on four so-called meanings of space: material, symbolic, social and economic. Including both tangible and intangible, or hard and soft factors, these meanings together assess how quality of place is related to the development potential of these clusters. The model, then, can be helpful to urban designers to improve qualities of place with the aim to contribute to the performance of creative clusters.