Growth barriers of creative industries firms in shrinking regions and challenges for policy and firm strategies

  • Companies and self-employed persons (in the following text company will address enterprises with more than one employee as well as self-employed persons) have to cope with effects of a demographic shrinkage. The strengths of possible impacts on the companies as well as necessary adjustments regarding the entrepreneurial acting towards those effects depend on factors like the economic branch of the company and the markets the company is active (e.g. local or export markets). Institutional support might absorb some challenges which emerge because of the demographic shrinkage. The paper is based on research on the creative industries in a shrinking city (Cottbus, Brandenburg, Germany). The research is part of the Interreg IVb project “Urban Creative Poles” (UCP). UCP is a project which aims to support the CCI with different instruments in five European medium-sized cities. Expert interviews with CCI companies have been conducted and analysed in a qualitative and quantitative way. The creative industries are by themselves aCompanies and self-employed persons (in the following text company will address enterprises with more than one employee as well as self-employed persons) have to cope with effects of a demographic shrinkage. The strengths of possible impacts on the companies as well as necessary adjustments regarding the entrepreneurial acting towards those effects depend on factors like the economic branch of the company and the markets the company is active (e.g. local or export markets). Institutional support might absorb some challenges which emerge because of the demographic shrinkage. The paper is based on research on the creative industries in a shrinking city (Cottbus, Brandenburg, Germany). The research is part of the Interreg IVb project “Urban Creative Poles” (UCP). UCP is a project which aims to support the CCI with different instruments in five European medium-sized cities. Expert interviews with CCI companies have been conducted and analysed in a qualitative and quantitative way. The creative industries are by themselves a heterogeneous economic sector which merges branches like advertising, design, performing and visual arts and others into one concept. Each branch does have to deal with own prequisites to act successful on its markets. Companies of the creative industries may have more problems to meet the challenges of a demographic shrinkage as they usually consist of small and medium sized companies. Impacts of the demographic shrinkage can become growth barriers for the firms. The question arises what specific problems do companies of the creative industries encounter in shrinking regions (in this case in the city of Cottbus and the region of South Lusatia, Brandenburg)? Do companies in and around Cottbus recognize the challenge and how do they react? What are the differences of each branch of the creative industries regarding the demographic challenge and their reactions? Institutions and public support play an important role to foster companies with the help of instruments of urban planning and business development. Especially the topic of the creative industries has become an important one for public support institutions in metropolitan areas and major cities. The number of economic and spatial development plans which has taken the creative industries into account increased in recent years. In many smaller and medium-sized cities as well as in regions afar from metropolitan areas support institutions have not taken the creative industries into account that strongly. This is true for Cottbus as well. Regarding the institutional settings the question arises how the CCI can be supported in areas afar from metropolitan regions? Is a promotion of the CCI in peripheral and shrinking regions reasonable when looking at the supposed superiority of metropolitan areas and major cities? Which instruments might be applicable for the specific conditions of shrinking cities and regions? To give answers to those questions literature and other support projects (e.g. different projects from the EU to foster the creative industries) will be reviewed. It will be analysed what strategies and instruments as well as empirical findings from demographical growing metropolitan areas and major cities might be transferred to shrinking non-metropolitan regions and cities. Own research findings and practical evidence from the project “Urban Creative Poles” (UCP) will be incorporated.show moreshow less

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Author: Marc Altenburg
ISBN:978-1-897721-41-4
Title of the source (English):Network Region and Cities, Times of Fragmentation: Developing Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Places, Annual European Conference, 13th May - 16th May 2012, Delft University of Technology
Publisher:RSA
Place of publication:Seaford
Document Type:Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Year of publication:2012
Contributing Corporation:Regional Studies Association
Tag:Kreativwirtschaft; Stadtforschung; Stadtökonomie
Faculty/Chair:Fakultät 6 Architektur, Bauingenieurwesen und Stadtplanung / FG Stadtmanagement
Institution name at the time of publication:Fakultät für Architektur, Bauingenieurwesen und Stadtplanung (eBTU) / LS Stadtmanagement
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