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city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
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A recent survey on our
strengths and weaknesses
identifies location, leisure
facilities and parks as the best
thing about living in Bristol,
with most people feeling that
in terms of location, history
and culture, we are better off
than other major cities.
We know that as well as
outstanding strengths, there
are many gaps and
weaknesses in local cultural
provision. This strategy
attempts to identify these, and
show how we can work
together to improve things...
this is city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
0210/459/DN Cultural Strategy1 01/12/2004 16:24 Page b
city life 1
city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
This first Cultural Strategy for Bristol has been produced by
partners from the public and voluntary sector on behalf of the
whole city *. It has been facilitated by Bristol City Council which
has the challenging task of making sure that all the proposed
actions are carried out. The strategy seeks to be an honest
appraisal of our current strengths and weaknesses, and points
the way to a future which recognises and celebrates the
importance of Bristol’s culture.
The strategy is not a list of the existing Arts, Sports and Heritage
initiatives in the city, but adopts a view of culture that is based, as
far as possible, on everyone’s own perspective – whatever it is that
moves, inspires and drives us!
We are, of course, informed by national and regional (& global)
thinking, by the explosion of commercial opportunities in recent
years, by the recognition that as individuals we are all enriched by
easy access to our cultural dreams, but above all by what it is that
makes living in Bristol a unique and inspirational experience.
Bristolians know that Bristol is a better place to be than any other
equivalent city in the UK. A recent survey* on our strengths and
weaknesses identifies location, leisure facilities and parks as the
best thing about living here, with most people feeling that in
terms of location, history and culture, we are better off than other
major cities. We also smile more than the rest of Britain! **
That’s a great start, but we know that as well as outstanding
strengths, there are many gaps and weaknesses in local cultural
provision. The same survey, for example, lists the absence of
quality arts and sports facilities as a key weakness.
This strategy attempts to identify areas needing improvement
(set out under the five strategic priorities of the Local Strategic
Partnership) and to demonstrate how we can work together to
make things happen.
Introduction
Contents page
Introduction 1 - 2
Vision 3 - 4
Part 1: Strengthening local communities 5 - 8
Part 2: Life long learning 9 - 10
Part 3: Promoting health and well being 11 - 14
Part 4: Investing for a sustainable environment 15 - 24
Action plan: see separate document 25
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Bristol’s shortlisting for European Capital
of Culture 2008 confirmed what we
already knew – that the city is a UK
centre of cultural excellence. The cultural
strategy underpins our commitment to
maintain the momentum of the 2008
bid. It also relates to the life of the wider
region (particularly the Regional Cultural
Strategy) and we hope will become a
chapter in future versions of Bristol’s
new Community Plan ***
This will be Bristol’s strategy so our
aspiration is to reflect the views of as
many communities across the city as
possible; we really do want to hear your
views.
As you will see from the ambitious list of
actions, not everything can be achieved
at once. However, we confidently expect
that these important priorities will move
forward over the next few years and
improve Bristol even more.
We hope you will be able to work with us
to continue to make Bristol a fantastic
place to live, and ensure our range of
world class cultural facilities are open
and available to all.
Derrick PriceChair, Cultural Strategy Steering Group
Ben BarkerVOSCUR
Simon CookCouncillor
Tessa CoombesWestern Partnership for Sustainable Development
(now Future West)
Ruth DaveyBristol East Side Traders & Bristol Regeneration Arts
Network
Jo HargreavesCouncillor
Kate HigneyBristol North Primary Care NHS Trust
Helen HollandCouncillor
Andrew KellyBristol Cultural Development Partnership
Dick PennyDirector, Watershed Media Centre
Derrick PriceChair
Brian StylesCity of Bristol College
Claire WarrenCouncillor
In our bid to become European Capital of
Culture, culture was defined in the
following way:
For us, culture is what we do and how wedo it – as individuals, groups andcollectively, Our culture is the values wehold: it is what we have in common andwhat sets us apart. It comes from ourhistory and heritage and our hopes andplans for the future. It is the ordinary andthe extraordinary – the everydayencounter and the unique experience. Itresults in art, sport, architecture. scienceand technology, parks and gardens,hobbies and pastimes. It can be highculture, popular culture, sub-culture andemerging cultures. It can be commercialactivity or subsidized. It can be thedialect we speak, the clothes we wear, theplaces we visit, the music we listen to, thefun we have, the games we play, ourpolitics and faith. Culture helps us findour way through life. It can be a goodthing in itself, as well as promotingunderstanding, regeneration, enrichmentand learning, tourism, and the health ofpeople, our cities and society.Participation in and engagement withcultural activity improves and inspires us,providing meaning to our lives.
Signature
The Cultural Strategy is a strategy for all Bristol and should speak for all those involved
in cultural activity. In the text, “we” stands for all of us – individuals and organisations
in the voluntary sector, the business sector, funders, strategic and elected bodies. It was
commissioned by Councillor Helen Holland, then Deputy Leader and Executive Member
for the Department of Environment, Transport and Leisure, for Bristol City Council. A
steering group monitored progress, supported by officers from the Department of
Environment, Transport and Leisure, consisting of:
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city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
Vision
Bristol is a beautiful city. Its recent
economic success has been
significantly boosted by the creativity
of its people. It is a city poised to
become a European model for quality
of life, built on cultural excellence.
Culture for us must be inclusive,
active, vibrant, accessible, sustainable,
exciting, global, local, fun, challenging,
radical, aspirational and above all
rooted in Bristol’s uniqueness, building
bridges and bringing us together.
This strategy
attempts to identify
areas needing
improvement and
to demonstrate how
we can work
together to make
things happen.
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Neighbourhood Renewal Areas) has led to a clear view that
neighbourhoods want to explore and celebrate their
identities, sense of place and diversity of cultures.
Current provision to do this is patchy, with some parts of the
city enjoying good local facilities (buildings: libraries, sports
centres & pools, church halls, and other faith centres, cinemas,
community centres; classes & workshops at the local youth or
community education centre, parks and pitches – indoor and
out), but others with very little. The identification of
neighbourhood renewal areas in 2001 has helped to focus on
building these missing links in provision (a fundamental
review of youth services, for example, and the start of a
neighbourhood arts strategy) but there is much more to do.
If local people are to be able to celebrate, in the ways
indicated above, they need spaces to meet, expertise to train
and impart skills, and the funding and control to be able to
make decisions quickly and easily at a local level.
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city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
Part oneStrengthening local communities
It is the individual that makes cities interesting! And it is culture
that makes individuals interesting! There is an enormous variety
of cultural activity happening locally and spontaneously in
Bristol. How can this energy best be supported? What is needed
to make it easier and more attractive for us all to develop our
culture, the sports, arts, recreation and learning opportunities
that are needed throughout our lives?
Communities of interest
There are many communities of interest that come together to
explore culture further. These can be defined by who they are, by
where they live or by their interests and beliefs. So a young
person living in Southmead might want to explore music with
other young people from across the city, or football with a local
team, or join a film course at Watershed. All valid ambitions, but
how can a city offer all these, and countless other opportunities,
and publicise their availability to ensure that everyone who wants
them knows about how to get involved?
Cultural activity at a local level
Culture gives people a sense of community within our
neighbourhoods. Many opportunities for cultural expression or
activity are best provided initially at a local level, the place to learn
and practice arts and sports, to rent a video or borrow a book, to
play with others safely and imaginatively, or have a locally
managed meeting place to contact others with similar interests.
Some more established examples of this include St Paul’s Carnival
(Ashley), Youth Sports programme (Southmead), ACTA’s
Community plays in Hartcliffe and Lawrence Weston and Easton
Community Festival.
The initial consultation for the Community Plan (and research in
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We will:-
◗ encourage partnership working to
promote neighbourhood cultural
activity, and identify local educational,
cultural and creative economy
opportunities.
◗ invest in community identity through
locally determined public art, signage
and street design, arts & sports
projects, festivals and publications
(both in the neighbourhoods in the city
centre).
◗ expand on the opportunities provided
by local community buildings (schools,
libraries, youth & community centres,
pools and sports centres) and open up
existing cultural facilities (in schools,
sports clubs etc) for more use especially
at weekends and school holidays.
◗ re-invent neighbourhood centres as
single multi-use cultural buildings, (eg
libraries/community centres/youth
centres), rather than provide separate
provision on unconnected sites.
◗ harness local enthusiasm and talent by
providing clearly publicised ladders of
opportunity for individuals to take their
interests further (through classes and
workshops in central locations) and for
groups to showcase work to a wider
audience (by participating in city centre
festivals or citywide sporting events).
◗ prioritise cultural investment in the ten
Neighbourhood Renewal Areas while
also supporting provision in other parts
of the city.
Cultural Diversity, Accessand Equalities
The particular excitement of city culture
stems from its diversity, and dynamism,
and from the way different currents of
cultural life challenge and influence each
other. We want our culture to be
inclusive, partly because we are
committed to social justice, but also
because our vision is for a culture that
harnesses all the resources of Bristol’s
diverse communities.
Demographically, Bristol
is a young and multi-
cultural city, with
significant communities
with a background in the
Caribbean, Africa
(especially Morocco,
Algeria and Somalia),
Pakistan, Bangladesh,
India as well as many
other world countries and
faiths. Many of the city’s
cultural ambassadors from these
communities and yet much of Bristol’s
city centre culture appears to ignore this
contribution. This position is changing
but there is still a lot more to do.
We need to promote access if we are to
make Bristol’s diverse and dynamic
cultural activities available to everyone,
and if we want culture to develop our
sense of community. This has many
dimensions - the accessibility of cultural
life is determined by physical and
psychological barriers, by economic and
social limits, by education and marketing.
A key issue is the degree to which all
communities and groups of people can
access city centre facilities and find there
the cultural opportunities that they seek.
Transport is one of the keys to
accessibility. The local transport plan sets
out radical proposals built on integration,
choice, affordability and
environmental
sustainability. Along with
existing and proposed
work on night buses and
iPlus, the redevelopment
of the bus station, and
the renewal of Temple
Meads, the accessibility
of the main city centre
cultural facilities from
Bristol’s suburbs is being
increased and the
concept of a 24 hour city becomes
increasingly meaningful. The
development of Bristol International
Airport positions the city as a hub for
international access including daily links
to Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels, and
open up the potential for cultural links
with low cost flights to destinations
including Bordeaux, Barcelona, Nice,
Prague and Venice.
this is city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
Transport is one of the
keys to accessibility. The
local transport plan sets
out radical proposals
built on integration,
choice, affordability and
environmental
sustainability.
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this is city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
At the other extreme, the promotion of
cycling and walking is not only about
taking traffic off the road, but also about
the way we choose to live. Sustrans, the
national organisation which promotes
cycleways, is based in Bristol and is a
partner in developing the Bristol network.
The Bristol Legible City initiative is a
movement and information system
providing a complete new range of
signage for pedestrians, cyclists and
drivers, coupled with touch sensitive
screen information units. Starting in the
city centre, it will extend to other parts of
Bristol in future years.
Art and Power have been working with
the Council’s Traffic & Transport Division
to identify barriers presented to disabled
people when trying to access city centre
cultural venues. This is just one example
of a community of interest helping
develop cultural planning in a cross-
cutting way - others include the churches
and faith organisations who offer venues
and other support, and youth
organisations who encourage and
provide events.
We will:-
◗ promote equality of access in the way
we plan, promote and manage cultural
facilities
◗ support cultural activity and expression
among excluded communities
◗ use culture as one way to increase the
city’s social cohesion
◗ overcome barriers to access with good
transport and signage, and by
implementing the Disability
Discrimination Act and Bristol’s own
high standards for physical access
◗ make Bristol a centre for green
transport planning
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Community Education, Colleges and Universities, and Cultural
organisations offer many such opportunities – locally and in
the centre of Bristol. The myriad of partnerships are
signposted by libraries, who also of course offer a wide range
of formal and informal learning materials.
Local community research is helping to focus on what people
want in their leisure time, and new developments (a new
Bollywood Dance class in Easton, a park keeper in St Agnes
Park, an Arts Co-ordinator in Community Education, locality
based sports development workers) are starting to fill the
gaps.
Funding for Creative Partnerships, which links artists, arts
organisations and young people, has come from the Arts
Council. Lottery finance has helped all libraries provide free
internet access. A Youth Music Action Zone is encouraging
young people to discover new skills in all styles of music.
However there are still many gaps to fill, and a number of new
approaches that are needed to promote cultural learning for
all.
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city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
Part twoLife Long Learning
This is a time of rapid global change. The relationship between
countries and communities, environmental issues, scientific and
technological advances, and instant communications, present
great challenges. The ability to cope and thrive on an individual
basis depends largely on acquiring knowledge and skills, at all
stages of life.
Life Long Learning is offered in both a wide range of formal
settings (through nursery, school or college) and an even greater
number of individual self-directed opportunities. Culture is at the
heart of this, both in terms of the wide range of skills that it
offers, (arts, sports, languages and design, for example) and as a
means to an end. Individual learning is easier, people become
more confident, aspirations are greater, all through accessing new
creative skills. A local pottery class may lead to a foundation
course in art and design, or equally, stimulate the desire to study a
foreign language, which could lead to a new job opportunity.
Culture helps to shape our learning from the earliest age, and so
play provision, and opportunities for the under fives, are of great
value. As new policies are developed for these, we will see how
culture can play a key role. Bristol’s schools, especially in the state
sector, are under huge pressure to deliver attainment targets. We
see cultural education as contributing to achievement, not as a
diversion of effort, and believe that stronger links between
schools and the cultural sector can help. Local community
research is
helping to focus
on what people
want in their
leisure time
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We will:-
◗ work to establish an entitlement for all
children (from 0-19) to a quality arts &
sports education
◗ help the play sector to incorporate
cultural provision and contribute to the
child-friendly designs of the city
◗ promote the roles of Sports Academies,
Colleges and the Junior Sports Unit as
hubs for sports promotion across
Bristol schools
◗ encourage all cultural institutions in
the city to place life long learning at the
heart of their work
◗ seek to facilitate quality learning
opportunities in the creative industry
sectors, especially film & media and
music.
◗ audit existing cultural learning
opportunities, market and promote
them to ensure the evident access, and
encourage the gaps to be filled
◗ encourage joined up working between
the cultural and learning providers, and
develop new systems of accreditation
and professional training
◗ maximise e-learning opportunities
especially at local level. work to establish
an entitlement for
all children
(from 0-19) to a
quality arts &
sports education
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Although this is most easily understood and measured in
terms of physical health, mental health and well being is also
the result of a satisfying cultural life. Conversely, substance
abuse, mental illness and social isolation are symptoms of
cultural failure.
Communities under stress are often fragmented and have less
confidence in the relevance, safety and security of cultural
interaction and social space, as well as the relevance of
cultural facilities and programmes. The geographical pattern
of health suggests that promoting cultural engagement in
worse-off communities will have health benefits.
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city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
Part threePromoting health and well being
Contribution to healthy living
The quality of our culture shows up dramatically in our physical
and mental health. It determines the amount of exercise we get
through sports and recreation, and other lifestyle choices such as
cycling to work, or walking in the park. It influences the variety
and quality of food in our diet. Our need for culture is shown in
the satisfaction we get from social, creative and intellectual
activity.
So if there is one area where we can say that some cultural
options are better than others, it is in their effect on health and
well being. And it is no coincidence that the communities with
worst health in Bristol are the poorest communities with the least
opportunity and motivation to engage in cultural activity. The
degree of health inequality in all Britain’s great cities is a stark
reminder of the injustice which still exists in our society, as well as
an indicator of the missed opportunity for living healthy and
fulfilling lives. This issue is taken up in the Community Strategy.
There are powerful forces ranged against healthy living - low
quality fast food outlets and passive home based entertainment
are major industries, with highly accessible and heavily promoted
products. There are disturbing trends in some indicators of health,
such as the level of childhood obesity. Many factors are involved,
and the evidence is that a comprehensive approach to lifestyle -
providing both access and motivation - is needed. The University
of Bristol’s specialist research into the links between exercise and
health has an international reputation and underlines both the
importance and the difficulty of influencing health choices for the
better.
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Active life styles
Bristol offers a wide range of
opportunities for physical and mental
recreation. Many of the public facilities
are ageing and there is a need for
significant change for them to remain
relevant. For example, participation in
swimming has declined and is below the
levels enjoyed in comparable cities,
because of the poor quality of facilities
here. The swimming pool strategy is
predicted to double the amount of
swimming in the city. It does involve
change, which is not easy nor without
some sacrifices. The same is true of the
allotment strategy which has brought
new investment in facilities and has
already halted a decline in levels of
participation. As well as being part of a
healthy lifestyle, the therapeutic value of
fine arts is recognised in the growing
number of Arts and Health initiatives.
Bristol’s two professional football clubs,
the rugby and county cricket clubs and
other elite clubs have a good track record
in developing the ladder of progression
from community level sport, and
widening participation – for example in
girls and women’s football.
The amateur scene is sustained by very
active and effective voluntary league
structures and clubs. This is not
dependent on top-down support, but
does require investment in facilities to
enable participants to maintain their
development programmes.
Informal recreation and children’s play
facilities promote activity among a wider
range of people than undertake formal
sports and, in consequence, are vital for
health promotion. Our parks are heavily
used. The attractive new playgrounds at
Blaise and Hengrove Park have attracted
huge numbers of users. Major
reinvestment programmes in the historic
estates at Blaise Castle and Ashton Court
will attract still more people. But we
need to make the open spaces and
recreation grounds in the worst-off parts
of Bristol more attractive and more
secure places, for all ages, but particularly
children and young people. Residential
streets also should be safer places –
home zone initiatives, although difficult
to achieve are a compelling vision of new
kinds of safe environments for people.
Major
reinvestment
programmes in
the historic
estates at Blaise
Castle and
Ashton Court will
attract still more
people
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For many people with marginal health,
keeping a basic exercise regime going
with a minimum level of walking is the
difference between an acceptable and
independent lifestyle and chronic ill-
health and dependency. Bristol has
developed one of the largest
programmes in the country to help some
of the people most in need of physical
activity get into regular exercise in local
walks in congenial company, in a
programme called “Walking the way to
health”.
If General Practitioners can have a menu
of attractive, reliable, accessible and
relevant options for exercise available to
recommend to patients, and if there are
welcoming pathways into these exercise
options, both the individual patient and
the NHS’s budget will benefit.
We will:-
◗ develop attractive programmes for
health referral by GPs in Bristol’s two
Primary Care Trusts to a range of
exercise and cultural activities. Moving
people out of the surgery and into the
park, the dance studio and the leisure
centre.
◗ Develop the Bristol Sports Partnership
and other partnerships to promote
action and healthy lifestyles.
◗ develop new swimming pools at
Horfield, Hengrove Park and the other
locations identified in the strategy for
Bristol’s pools and indoor sports
facilities
◗ replace or refurbish changing facilities
and improve sports pitch quality and
develop a variety of indoor/outdoor
sports opportunities
◗ develop the highly praised work of the
Junior Sports Unit in promoting sport
in schools, building new support and
delivery arrangements in conjunction
with the new School Sports Colleges,
the St George Academy, and other
relevant partners.
◗ improve allotments and increase
participation in allotment gardening.
◗ develop the Wellspring Healthy Living
Centre at Barton Hill to supplement
what has already been achieved at the
Knowle Health Park.
◗ work with young people to prioritise
and design youth facilities in parks
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At the other extreme, some areas of Bristol have low quality
parks, in poor condition and abused. These open spaces are on
the edge of a spiral of decline in which loss of environmental
quality deters popular use of these social spaces, in turn
engendering abuse and the fear of crime. It’s no coincidence
that these problems are particularly associated with parts of
Bristol under social stress.
Good environments lift communities - poor environments
drag them down. The transformation of St Agnes Park in St
Pauls, which had been abandoned by most local residents,
shows how a modest investment in active management can
lead to huge improvements in the sense of public safety,
support and “ownership”. The development of a high quality
landscaped park and of new sports facilities in Hengrove Park
are at the heart of proposals for regeneration in this part of
the city.
Parks are traditionally provided and run by local authorities
but there is a strong and increasing level of community
involvement in their management and even maintenance. The
city farms are well established
examples of community
management.
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city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
Part fourInvesting for a sustainableenvironment
Sustainability is such an important issue for all of us, that we
have given it its own chapter. But we also require that these
principles must apply to every aspect of this strategy.
Parks/open spaces/biodiversity
The city sustains sites of extraordinary wildlife value (notably the
Avon Gorge) and mature landscapes showing the genius of some
of the foremost designers of the English tradition: including
Blaise Castle, Ashton Court and other Repton landscapes, and the
great Victorian cemetery at Arnos Vale. Our oldest municipal
property is Brandon Hill park, donated to the Corporation of
Bristol in 1174. The south west is renowned for its parks and
gardens, and Bristol is also surrounded by fine natural landscapes.
Bristol is known for its active green movement, with national
organisations such as Sustrans and the Soil Association based
here. The innovative Create Centre houses several local groups
and this supports networking and the development of new
initiatives and partnerships. Environmental awareness goes back
a long way, and outside London we have unrivalled historical
documentation of biological and geological resources.
The green environment is ranked by Bristol people as one of the
three best things about living in Bristol - along with its location
and its leisure facilities. 81% of the population use the parks - a
total of 24 million parks visits each year.
Major investment has gone into Blaise Castle estate and Hengrove
Park, and the Heritage Lottery fund is supporting the development
of ambitious schemes for Ashton Court estate and Arnos Vale
cemetery.
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We will:
◗ bring the quality of parks and public
spaces into the regeneration agenda for
neighbourhood renewal
◗ foster community involvement in
managing parks, and the role of the
Bristol Parks Forum
◗ work with users to develop a strategy
for open space in Bristol, ensuring that
diverse and good quality parks are
accessible to people across the city
◗ prioritise development of exciting safe
and secure outdoor facilities for
children and young people
◗ develop the city’s landscape framework,
enhancing city gateways, main
communication routes and
neighbourhood identity.
◗ use investment from adjacent
development to upgrade parks such as
Castle Park and Hengrove Park
The built environment
Bristol’s varied townscape reflects its
energetic economic and social history
and makes the city uniquely attractive
among the large provincial cities.
The docks are fundamental to Bristol’s
historic identity, including the shameful
slave trade, and the re-emergence of the
dockside as a cultural and leisure
destination is emblematic of the city’s
journey to a post mercantile, post
industrial economy. The centre has a
cheek by jowl mix of architectural styles
from eight centuries of building and
rebuilding.
City centre development over the last
decade has created architecture and
public spaces of real interest, and highly
visible, architecturally confident new
schemes in the pipe line will extend this
architectural excitement. The Broadmead
extension, Harbourside and Temple Quay
are examples of the massive scale of
investment coming forward.
Public space in the centre is changing.
College Green and Queen Square have
been transformed with high quality
formal urban landscape works and public
art. The controversial paving and
fountain scheme in the centre has
created a well used public space - as, over
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highly visible,
architecturally
confident new
schemes
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a longer period and on a bigger scale, has
the regeneration of the dockside. Taken
together these have created a public
environment which extends the
excitement of visiting the centre’s
cultural institutions, restaurants, clubs
and bars.
Bristol’s suburbs have distinctive
identities and equally distinct
architectural strengths and needs. The
current interest in high density urban
living (the “urban renaissance” advocated
by Lord Rogers) translates readily into
some areas, not so easily into others. The
regeneration of Hengrove Park as a high
quality mixed development of housing,
employment, open space and leisure
facilities is a huge challenge, an
opportunity to fit current design ideals
into existing communities in a way that
enhances the whole area.
The economic and cultural vitality of the
city centre puts pressures on the street
scene - litter, flyposting and vandalism. In
some other areas it is the lack of
economic vitality and sense of
community that damages the street
scene and makes users feel the street is a
threatening place.
Bristol Clean and Green is the working
title for an initiative to improve the
management of our streets and open
spaces. It brings together agencies
including BCC, VOSCUR and the Evening
Post, to develop public consciousness and
initiatives dealing with litter, vandalism,
and the other abuses that degrade public
space.
John Ruskin wrote that “a measure of a
city’s greatness is to be found in the
quality of its public spaces, its parks and
squares”. In the twentieth century British
cities neglected public spaces compared
to our continental partners, but Bristol is
now waking up to the benefits of a high
quality public realm, where all sections of
the community can mingle.
We will
◗ continue the transformation of the city
centre, guided by the City Centre
Strategy, to ensure Bristol has a world
class cultural and social heart with
coherent planning and landmark
buildings of the highest architectural
quality
◗ promote high quality new sub-urban
living in major development at
Hengrove Park alongside new park,
leisure and employment facilities
◗ develop the role of neighbourhood
centres as social and cultural as well as
retail hubs
◗ deal with the causes of squalor and
insecurity in our streets and parks –
litter, vandalism, anti-social behavior.
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Building a Thriving Economy
Business is booming in Bristol – we have
the most successful start-up rate outside
London – and Culture plays a major part
in this. Key to this economic boom is
Bristol’s diversification away from
manufacturing, with new technology,
media and education all growing
enormously in the last 20 years. Many of
these new businesses feed off, and
contribute to the emerging cultural
sector which is now one of the largest
employers in the city. The city is now
recognised nationally as a leading tourist
destination, a centre for creative
industries, and as the regional cultural
capital.
Driven by the tremendous energy and
business acumen of the cultural sector,
there has been a rapid rate of growth
over the last ten years which has
happened so quickly that the regional
and local public infrastructure has not
been able to react to it. Consequently,
although we now have national and
some regional statistics on the size and
importance of the sector, there is no
baseline information about the number
of creative jobs in Bristol and inadequate
measures in place to support and sustain
it.
City image
Our image is vital, both locally to raise
self confidence and aspirations and
nationally/internationally to attract
visitors, students, new residents and,
crucially, the vital economic inward
investment to sustain steady growth.
Bristol has great strengths here. In
addition to the tourism and creative
industry strengths already described,
Bristol has many other selling points. We
have a valued history, as Britain’s 2nd city
for several hundred years, a thriving
architecture remarkably preserved, and
an important higher education sector,
one of the most popular in the UK.
We are seen as a ‘real’ place, built on a
lack of pretension, an honest eye to what
makes success, a determination to keep
our feet on the ground. We are
recognised as a vibrant, young and multi-
cultural city with an increasing creative
influence worldwide. The success of
Bristol’s creative sector is creating a
realisation that this unique feel is now
being harnessed as our special way of
successfully contributing to global
cultural change.
Not all of the city shares in this newly
found self-confidence though and finding
a way of sharing this recipe for success
throughout Bristol will be key to ensuring
that our image is equally owned by all.
We will:
◗ involve local people as performers and
participants, not just as audiences, in
major cultural events (as well as
bringing the best in the world to the
city).
◗ be confident and pro-active in selling
the Bristol brand, as part of
determining the sub-regional or
regional identity.
◗ focus on encouraging and enabling
young people from across the city to
enjoy the cultural benefits of a
renewed City Centre.
◗ devote as much energy to supporting
cultural events that celebrate local (ie
neighbourhood) identity, as to
promoting the city as a whole.
◗ nurture and protect the special sub-
culture of the city (our DJ’s, fashion
setters, street art, composers, film
makers, designers) rather than
marginalise them with too much
emphasis on building based centres of
excellence.
◗ ensure that high quality marketing
material is available locally, nationally
and internationally that does justice to
the creative capacity and reputation of
the city, and be pro-active in promoting
Bristol throughout Britain and the
world for its unique properties.
this is city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
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this is city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
city life 19
Tourism
Historically, it was Bath Spa that saw
itself as a city of tourism, while Bristol
enjoyed a reputation as a maker of things
rather than a visitor destination. This has
changed dramatically recently, with
Bristol awarded the title of the UK’s Best
City in the Group Travel Awards 2002.
This reflects astonishing growth in visitor
numbers from 5.2 million in 1996 to 9.2
million in 2002. How has this happened?
Bristol’s beauty, its location as gateway to
the South West, its image as a happening
city, its range of popular hotels and
restaurants, but above all a steady steam
of new, renewed and unique visitor
attractions have all contributed. The
regenerated harbourside is a unique
selling point, a destination in its own
right that weaves beautifully through the
city, a great family day out and the home
to a wide range of nationally acclaimed
cultural attractions.
Bristol has created for itself a platform to
become one of the UK’s premier
destinations for local, national and
international visitors. In addition Ashton
Court is one of the most popular parks in
the country with over 1.5m visitors a year.
To sustain this growth means staying
ahead of the (increasingly better
resourced) competition.
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city life 20
We will:
◗ improve the public realm and welcome
people with better information and
signage.
◗ promote Harbourside as a destination.
◗ develop joint ticketing for city centre
attractions, integrated with transport
(such as the integrated ticketing for
@t-Bristol with SW Trains).
◗ work more closely with our neighbours
especially Bath, without losing Bristol’s
unique identify.
◗ invest in our year long programme of
cultural events and festivals that
attract both day visitors from the
region and national/international
overnight stops, especially to take
advantage of the spare bed capacity in
our hotels at weekends.
◗ investigate increasing the capacity for
camping and caravaning in or adjacent
to the city.
Cultural Industries
Bristol has become internationally known
for the clusters of global brands that
have emerged here over the last ten years
in both Film and Media, and Music.
Aardman Animations, BBC Wildlife, BBC
Animation Centre, Watershed, Tiger
Aspect, E3 are industry leaders in the film
and media world. Similarly Massive
Attack, Portishead, Tricky, Roni Size and
Reprasent and Andy Sheppard have put
Bristol on the world map through their
unique style of music, colloquially known
as the Bristol Sound. Many leading
musicians, artists and film-makers have
chosen to stay living in the city, adding to
Bristol’s creative drive and encouraging
more young people to get involved,
importantly as a role model for black and
other ethnic communities.
There are also a number of smaller
clusters that are recognised nationally.
The Government’s Creative Industries
Mapping Document (2001) identifies the
South West as being players in Film, TV &
Radio, Architecture, Software, Publishing
& Arts & Antiques. The Regional Cultural
Strategy, published by the Culture South
West (the regional cultural consortium)
in 2001 highlights, in addition, graphic
design and new music technology. They
estimate that around 5% of the region
workforce (90,000 people) work in
creative industries, in turn supporting a
wider and fast growing creative economy,
with visitor attractions such as Eden and
@t Bristol opened as a direct result of the
energetic visioning of local creatives.
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city life 21
Support mechanisms for the creative
sector for both city and region are far less
well developed than most in the UK.
We are collecting detailed figures to
show the size, value and location of the
sector, and will develop a strategy to
provide the stimulus to secure future
growth.
We will bring together the key individuals
and companies in the sector to develop a
shared understanding of the issues, and
agree a common vision for their support
and promotion.
Bristol as the regional centre
Like other regional capitals, Bristol
provides the cultural infrastructure that
no smaller town or local authority can
sustain. In Bristol we attract large
numbers of people from our
neighbouring areas to visit our museums,
concert halls, sports grounds, clubs and
visitor attractions, in addition, of course,
to those also using shops, cafes, bars and
restaurants.
Much of this infrastructure has been
improved or is in the process of renewal.
Especially important in this context are
the plans to provide a new stadium,
arena and world class music venue in
Bristol soon. National, regional and local
public and private sector funding sources
are being maximised to make this
possible. Plans are also well underway to
invest in most of the other main cultural
facilities that play a regional role
(Arnolfini, Watershed, Old Vic, Kuumba,
Spike Island).
this is city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
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This investment has been hard to achieve
when Bristol was expected to find most
of the cultural resources. The recent
change in emphasis nationally has
enabled significant resources to come
from national funding organisations,
who are investing in all of the above.
Recent Arts Council and Heritage Lottery
Fund investment in Bristol already
amounts to well over £40 million, Re-
source (the National Libraries, Archives &
Museum body) will support Bristol
Museum & Art Gallery for the first time
(as a regional hub for expertise) with
increased revenue funding, and
announcements are expected soon from
HLF on the restoration of Ashton Court
Estate and Museum of Bristol.
Other welcome support
for these regional
organisations based in
Bristol already comes from
South West Arts, South
West Museum Libraries
and Archives Council, SW
Sport England, South
Gloucestershire Council,
and a wide range of trusts,
charities and private
sector donors.
Nevertheless, the widest responsibility
remains with Bristol City Council, and
given the need to invest in
provision that primarily
meets the needs of local
people, recent modest
budget increases for
culture are welcome,
although much more local,
regional and national
funding is still needed to
enable the potential of the
sector to be fully realised.
The 2008 Capital of Culture bid was an
excellent springboard for many of these
issues, and Bristol’s bid has been warmly
supported throughout the region.
These new relationships need building
into longer term partnerships, such as
the new Youth Music Action Zone
launched recently in Bristol and
Gloucester and the revitalised
subregional local authority, leisure and
arts partnership between Bristol, North
Somerset, South Gloucestershire and
Bath and North East Somerset.
Bristol must find ways of working closely
with regional cultural organisations and
other major UK cities in order to be seen
as an important partner in defining
cultural policy and investment nationally
and regionally, as well as locally.
this is city lifea cultural strategy for Bristol
...the widest
responsibility
remains with Bristol
City Council, and
given the need to
invest in provision
that primarily meets
the needs
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We Will:
◗ publish our capital strategy for the arts
◗ develop a revenue strategy for arts
funding
◗ support and establish partnerships
with the emerging regional cultural
agencies
◗ support the Core Cities* input into
cultural policy at national level
* Core Cities is a collaboration betweenBirmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool,Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham andSheffield.
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