ORCID

Abstract

The UK is a coastal country, no one lives more than 80 miles from the coast, and indeed when you get down to into Cornwall and Devon this reduces to just 20 miles. Our coasts are a rich source of natural and cultural assets replete with places people value, visit and choose to live in. Yet our coastal communities are some of the most overlooked, challenged and deprived in the country. The strengths that exist in our coastal areas – around natural resources and pockets of specialised skills – are compromised by low levels of economic capacity and activity, aggravated by poor health outcomes and educational attainment in local communities. This has created a vicious circle where low skills and capacity deters investment, while locals believe opportunities brought into the area are “not for them”.The creative industries have a clear role in supporting seaside towns to diversify their economies and enhance their local cultural assets however currently they are failing to attract public and wider investment. Even our most remote coastal areas have an essential contribution to make to innovation and sustainable development, by taking new and innovative approaches to solving some of the most pressing environmental and societal challenges. Creating economic as well as social prosperity through inclusive growth.Agglomeration and building on strengths are central to the model for investing increative industries , which has proved so successful in recent years. Research undertaken by the Creative PEC supports further expanding investment from the original major clusters to other areas by showing that creative micro-clusters – particularly those outside the major cluster areas – are just as efficient from an investment perspective. Few remote coastal areas make it into this model however, they remain tantalisingly outside the charmed circle of investment.This paper introduces the challenges and opportunities inherent within coastal communities and highlights several examples of creative and cultural industry led projects which showcase the latent potential for creative industries to support the development of coastal communities, if proper investment and leadership is provided.

Publication Date

2025-05-02

Publication Title

Culture, Place and Development

Volume

Urban Innovation

ISBN

978-0-9934156-8-5

First Page

47

Last Page

70

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