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The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 29127

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marlen Komorowski

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

1. School of Journalism, Media and Culture (JOMEC), Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 1FS, UK
2. SMIT (Studies on Media, Innovation and Technology), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Interests: creative industries; media; innovation; economic geography; creative hubs; clusters; networks

Prof. Dr. Justin Lewis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Journalism, Media and Culture (JOMEC), Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 1FS, UK
Interests: sustainability and media; media and climate change; politics, journalism and public opinion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the last several decades, the creative and cultural industries (CCIs) have increasingly been recognized for their role in local, regional, national and supranational economies; as drivers of economic growth, development and regeneration; and for their social and cultural impact on well-being, place-making, inclusion, sustainability, diversity and culture. On the other hand, the COVID-19 crisis has exposed the fragility and precarity of an industry dominated by micro-businesses, freelance and informal work practices and few tangible assets, calling into question the sustainability of economic models based on a high level of precarity in labor practices. This has led to some efforts (by governments and public bodies) to protect the industry from the pandemic’s impact. At the same time, lockdowns have also highlighted the importance of creative activity in maintaining individual well-being and community resilience and the innovative potential of the industry.

In this context, this Special Issue addresses the broader research field of CCIs and its various subsectors, from media, arts, design, and more (see the delineation of the DCMS1) and its role in developing pathways towards sustainability, resilience and recovery. We are looking for original research and the latest advances in both theoretical and practical approaches including but not limited to the following research topics.

The role of the CCIs for:

Competitiveness of regions and cities in a globalized world;
Resilience for economic and social crisis;
Digital transformation and innovativeness;
Economic and social development of rural, disparate regions and developing nations;
Environmental sustainability in the creative and cultural sectors;
Inclusion and diversity in the workforce and/or participation;

The way of the CCIs towards:

Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic;
Changing structures for more sustainable development and work practices;
Policy recognition and sustainable policy support schemes;
Data-driven insights for decision-making.

Dr. Marlen Komorowski
Prof. Dr. Justin Lewis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

creative industries
creative economy
sustainability
recovery
regional development
crisis
COVID-19
sustainable development

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 166 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

The Creative and Cultural Industries: Towards Sustainability and Recovery

by Marlen Komorowski and Justin Lewis

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 9923; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15139923 - 21 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1114

Abstract

We are delighted to introduce this Special Issue of Sustainability, entitled “The Creative and Cultural Industries: Towards Sustainability and Recovery” [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

15 pages, 288 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Creative Hubs and Intercultural Dialogue—Towards a New Socio-Economic Narrative

by Marlen Komorowski, Máté Miklós Fodor, Sara Pepper and Justin Lewis

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8282; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108282 - 19 May 2023

Viewed by 1681

Abstract

This paper argues that creative hubs are enablers and curators of intercultural dialogue. Building upon an internationally funded project bringing together creative hubs from Turkey, Greece, Serbia and the UK, research was carried out through a survey analysis across these four countries with 98 creative hubs and four workshops in co-working spaces (involving 29 creative hub experts). Based on the data collected, this paper suggests a new framework for understanding intercultural dialogue in creative hubs through their spatial and cultural attributes, as well as through their levels of activity. The findings support the argument for a shift from an economic to a socio-economic narrative around creative hubs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery)

21 pages, 328 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Relationship between Firm Attributes and Attitudes towards Diversity

by Máté Miklós Fodor, Marlen Komorowski and Aliya Turegeldinova

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7481; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097481 - 2 May 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2240

Abstract

The attitudes of creative firms towards issues of equality, diversity and inclusiveness (“EDI”) can significantly affect their willingness to sponsor and implement effective measures in the domain. It is, therefore, essential to examine the readily measurable firm attributes that influence these attitudes. We have collected a wide range of data on almost 330 creative businesses. Our empirical investigation establishes a robust and unequivocal pattern. It indicates that more established companies tend not to view the underrepresentation or the discrimination of people with various protected characteristics as problematic. Young, innovative and efficient firms on the other hand are systematically more likely to consider these same issues as prevalent. These findings are in line with the conclusions from the previous literature which relied predominantly on anecdotal evidence. The patterns that we document suggest that EDI policies and recommendations must be tailored to the precise characteristics of the firm implementing them. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery)

12 pages, 275 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Out of Print: What the Pandemic-Era Newspaper Crisis in Australia Teaches Us about the Role of Rural and Regional Newspapers in Creating Sustainable Communities

by Olav Muurlink and Elizabeth Voneiff Marx

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5439; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065439 - 20 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1601

Abstract

Print newspapers tend to form part of the conversation on sustainable development goals in terms of the ability to communicate goals to the public, but to what degree are print newspapers part of the solution to sustainable rural and regional communities in particular? The COVID-19 pandemic coincided with a global crisis in print journalism. This article takes Australia as an extreme case study of the collapse of print news, tracing both the immediate causes as well as the scale of the decline, and the impacts in terms of community conversation, building social capital, and improving governance, particularly in sub-populations such as the aged, and in digitally disadvantaged regional and remote communities. This paper uses a range of secondary and primary data sources to build a paradoxical picture of a revival of rural and regional journalism, a revival that is focused on survival rather than revisiting the activist origins of early independent rural and regional media in the country. The new papers include part of the traditional mission of print news—building social capital—but are less engaged in creating political and financial transparency. It is concluded that the new wave of rural and regional titles may be simply at an early stage of evolution, but with the digital divide in Australia reducing, they may have little time to evolve. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery)

18 pages, 609 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cultural Mapping Tools and Co-Design Process: A Content Analysis to Layering Perspectives on the Creative Production of Space

by Vanessa Ágata de Abreu Santos and Jan van der Borg

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5335; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065335 - 17 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4046

Abstract

This study draws on the lessons learned during a summer school on cultural mapping (CM), which linked these methodologies and the co-design process to the city’s re-application to the UNESCO creative city designation. The event implemented artistic and participatory approaches, such as experimental initiatives that focused on the involvement of artists—the main creative producers of space—to foster participatory governance processes and reflect on the validity of the UNESCO label and its inherent monoculture emphasis. A content analysis of the course was done to provide a conceptual analysis of the theory and practice of cultural mapping that is generally under-theorized. By situating the course’s exercises in the theoretical triad of Lefebvre’s social production of space, the article indicates a possible structure for multi-perspective layering toward the participatory practices on the creative production of space. The results show that there is still no consistent way of presenting CM methodologies and processes, and for that CM remains not fully integrated into the planning and development practices of places. The study suggests further investigation on the links between cultural mapping and design science for co-design process crafting, and cultural mapping tool selection according to the different stages of multi-stakeholder work on articulating people-place meanings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery)

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28 pages, 8154 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Creative Economy and Sustainable Development: Shaping Flexible Cultural Governance Model for Creativity

by Wen-Jie Yan and Shu-Tang Liu

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4353; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054353 - 28 Feb 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2259

Abstract

With the development of cultural democratization, countries have attached increasing importance to the protection of cultural rights and the promotion of sustainable cultural development. The establishment of a flexible cultural governance model may release the transformative force of culture and creativity, gradually spread cultural values and ideas into governance, and shift activities to more sustainable behavior. This research was divided into two stages. In the first stage, CiteSpace was used to conduct a co-citation analysis of documents published between 2013 and 2022 in the Web of Science database. The results were combined with existing cultural development and value indicators from many countries to design cultural impact indicators suitable for evaluating the sustainable development of creative industries. In the second stage, a questionnaire survey was conducted on the cultural industry, the creative economy, and cultural consumption. Through statistical analysis, six dimensions were obtained, and 20 indicators were cultural sustainability, cultural democracy, cultural innovation, cultural industrialization, cultural vitality, and cultural policy systematization. The cultural governance framework of the creative economy and sustainable development was established through AMOS software. This study found that the humanistic rationality of cultural governance has a significant improvement and stable role in promoting the governance of cultural policies. Adjustable cultural impact indicators are effective cultural practices for shaping and framing creative industries, which should be invented, stabilized and improved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery)

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16 pages, 273 KiB

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The Quintuple Bottom Line: A Framework for Place-Based Sustainable Enterprise in the Craft Industry

by Inge Panneels

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3791; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043791 - 19 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3543

Abstract

This study proposes to extend the sustainable business framework of the Quadruple Bottom Line into the Quintuple Bottom Line. The five Ps of the Quintuple Bottom Line support purpose-driven businesses to consider economic profitability alongside social responsibility and environmental sustainability, rooted in place (purpose, profit, people, planet and place), and are based on reflections from the craft industry. Case studies from material-based creative businesses as found in the traditional handicraft and design-innovation communities in Nepal, and a designer-making community in Scotland, both explored circular-economy principles. The importance of localised supply chains and regenerative design enabled the development of the five-Ps framework so as to be more reflective of circular-economy models as operated by craft businesses. This qualitative research project took a case-studies approach, supported by primary research through workshops and interviews, and using the expansion of the Craft Toolkit of Applied Arts Scotland to embed the five Ps. The craft sector, with creative practices rooted in traditional manufacturing, material knowledge and yet a contemporary approach to design, can thus provide a useful model for other creative businesses that support purposeful, holistic sustainability and that engage with financial, environmental, and social sustainability that is rooted in place. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery)

14 pages, 397 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Live Music in the Time of Corona: On the Resilience and Impact of a Philharmonic Orchestra on the Urban Economy

by Johannes Glückler and Robert Panitz

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3611; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043611 - 16 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2426

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments enforced epidemic policies of social distancing, restrictions of professional practice, and the prohibition of cultural live performances. Because such policies dried up important sources of income in the cultural and tourism industries, this paper examines how cultural institutions coped with this crisis. Drawing on the case of the Mannheim Philharmonic Orchestra in Germany, we collected original data and employed a regional economic impact analysis to determine both the financial resilience of the Orchestra and its impact on the urban economy. Because the Orchestra could not reduce costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, public subsidies were crucial to fill the income gap of missed live concerts. In turn, the regional impact analysis suggests that the Orchestra maintained its positive effect on the economic demand for goods and services in the urban economy. When balancing the city’s subsidies with the rental (city concert halls) and tax incomes generated by the Orchestra’s local impact, the Orchestra managed to induce surplus revenue for the city’s treasury. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery)

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17 pages, 975 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Greening the Audiovisual Sector: Towards a New Understanding through Innovation Practices in Wales and Beyond

by Ruxandra Lupu, Marlen Komorowski, Justin Lewis, Gregory Mothersdale and Sara Pepper

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 2975; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15042975 - 7 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2607

Abstract

Despite efforts towards reducing the negative environmental impact of the audiovisual sector, sustainability remains challenging. In this paper we address environmental sustainability in the Welsh audiovisual sector through the lens of green innovation. The mixed method study combines quantitative research measuring the adoption levels of green innovation inside businesses with qualitative analysis of selected case studies of green innovation. In doing so, the paper explores the extent of developing green innovation, as well as how research and development (R&D) as a specific roadmap to innovation leads to different forms of innovative outcomes. Based on this evidence, we propose an extended framework for considering green innovation in the audiovisual sector, one that differentiates between solution-driven, content-driven and mindset-driven innovation. By providing evidence of the extent and nature of green innovation in the audiovisual sector, the paper makes an important contribution to the underexplored field of green innovation research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery)

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18 pages, 1463 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Power of Makerspaces: Heterotopia and Innovation

by Yingqiu Wu and Zhonghong Ma

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010629 - 30 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2214

Abstract

“We all are makers” as a slogan of maker movement seemed to be a utopian imagination. Although spirits such as openness and sharing in the slogan successfully directed the attention of the government, the capital, and the general public to individual innovation, they might be unilaterally presented. Drawing upon Michel Foucault’s conceptualization of heterotopias, this article explores the features of makerspaces in Shenzhen, China, arguing that the heterogeneous culture generated by makerspaces played an essential role in stimulating innovation and expanding the impact of maker movement. This article presents four types of heterogeneous culture, the cultures of tolerance, liminality, compensation, and confrontation, which enriched the research on makerspaces and enhanced the status of makerspaces in innovation studies. Through the critical lens, this article shows the social and cultural meanings of makerspaces to makers, makerspace operators, and governments, calling for their rethinking in sustainable development of makerspaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery)

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17 pages, 278 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cultural and Creative Industries and Copyright at the Regional Level: The Cases of Shenzhen and Hangzhou in China

by Ya-Feng Zhang

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5293; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095293 - 27 Apr 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2649

Abstract

Cultural creative industries (CCIs) have become an important driver in motivating the modern economy around the world, and the sustainable development of CCI is calling for a proper profit mechanism. Using China as the research context, this article investigates how copyright is used in the development of CCIs. The cities of Shenzhen and Hangzhou are selected as cases, and I identify 98 representative CCI enterprises from Shenzhen and 127 representative CCI enterprises from Hangzhou to conduct the analysis. It is found that the development of CCIs in different cities shows different models with regional characteristics, and shares some characteristics in common; most CCI enterprises have experience with copyright registration; copyright is highly correlated with other types of intellectual property (e.g., patent, trademark), and there is an obvious integration of copyright and technology; judicial lawsuits have become a major tool for enterprises to use copyright to protect their benefits, with plaintiffs winning the majority of the lawsuits. This research has both significant theoretical and practical implications, and contributes to theory about the use of copyright in the development of CCI at a regional level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Creative and Cultural Industries towards Sustainability and Recovery)

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