Creative placemaking revisited: exploring major drivers for the practice of making and co-creation

Abstract

This paper aims to explore granular understanding of creative placemaking within the trajectories of creative city discourse, and to analyse creative placemaking strategies that revolves around the creativity of individuals in terms of their 'making' practices. The methodology presents a literature review on the evolution of creative city discourse, and a content analysis of the placemaking components since 2010. The discussion intends to delineate particular drivers and key tactics put into context. The findings present four major drivers, namely; arts, design and craft as ways of making; individuals as creative initiators and makers; action areas as physicality of co-creation; and creative partnerships as channels of collaboration. The results contribute to a new narrative moving creative city from validating placemaking in primarily economic terms toward a broader consideration of social assets and place-specific values through co-creation, production and community engagement.