Developing Newcastle (and Gateshead, too!) through Culture

Figure 1: Bridges in Tyne River (Millenium Bridge and Tyne Bridge)

Source: Wilkinsoneyre.com

The industry of arts and culture have been a crucial element in the development of cities around the globe. It needs not to have idealised and monotonous like a copy of another city like Le Corbusier’s idea on homogenising them in “The City of Tomorrow and Its Planning” from 1987. Instead, to make it more appealing, arts are needed.

In Newcastle, take Lower Ouseburn Valley, or Ouseburn for short, for example. It is located nearby the Tyne River, and it next to the smaller Ouseburn River. It used to be an industry area during the industrial revolution. After the river was not the primary way for transporting goods, the activities were declined there. It became abandoned; intoxicated, unhealthy, unsafe, any other problems. Then, the ‘movement’ lead by the artists having workplace made this area more enlivened. They have attracted other artists, alongside other businesses.

The role of these artists as ‘stormtroopers’, a term borrowed from Zukin (1989) and explained contextually by Whiting and Hannam (2017), is described as cleansing a ‘dangerous’ neighbourhood and encouraging other people to come there. A lot of businesses were coming; some are from food and beverage sector, and some are commercialising the arts with exhibition and such. With the uniqueness and locality of arts in Ouseburn, this area stands out. The figure below is the example of a famous graffiti that is becoming a characteristic of Ouseburn and Newcastle:

Figure 2: Young Hearts Run Free Graffiti by Mul

Source: Geograph.org.uk (2021)

Another example is the waterfront area on and nearby the Tyne River. We have Tyne Bridge, Millenium Bridge, The High Level Bridge, Swing Bridge, and there is more! They are not only for transportation and accessibility, but they are also for iconic or monumental features.

Linked by the bridges, there are Gateshead and Newcastle Quayside. Gateshead has Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts, providing seven non-permanent exhibition spaces. Likewise, Quayside has been redeveloped into a beautiful waterfront design. These architectural and artistic elements are attracting people to visit Newcastle and Gateshead. Thus, these places with strong identities are proven to be successful for culture-led regeneration (Bailey et al, 2004) Figure 1 shows the bridges in linking Newcastle and Gateshead, and Figure 3 below is Baltic Centre as a tourism attraction in arts.

Figure 3: Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts

Source: Ourgateshead.org

In conclusion, the industry of arts and culture plays an important role in the development of cities, as presented in Newcastle and Gateshead through Ouseburn, the bridges in Tyne River, and Baltic Centre. This shows that embracing the uniqueness of these cities with architecture and local arts can enhance the developed areas.

Figure Reference:

Figure 1: Wlikinson Eyre. Gateshead Millenium Bridge (https://wilkinsoneyre.com/projects/gateshead-millennium-bridge) Last accessed 30/04/24

Figure 2: Geograph (2021). Young Hearts Run Free on the Quayside (https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6857462) Last accessed 29/04/2024

Figure 3: Our Gateshead. Baltic, Gateshead (https://www.ourgateshead.org/baltic-gateshead) Last accessed 30/04/24

Reference:

Bailey, C., Miles, S. & Stark, P. (2004) ‘CULTURE-LED URBAN REGENERATION AND THE REVITALIsATION OF IDENTITIES IN NEWCASTLE, GATESHEAD AND THE NORTH EAST OF ENGLAND’, International journal of cultural policy : CP, 10(1), pp. 47–65.

Le Corbusier. (1987) The city of tomorrow and its planning. New York]: Dover Publications.

Whiting, J. & Hannam, K. (2017) ‘‘The secret garden’: Artists, bohemia and gentrification in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK’, European urban and regional studies, 24(3), pp. 318–334.