Creativity needs a village: The case for cultural clusters

The UK’s creative industries are a national success story. They generate £124 billion for the economy, support more than two million jobs and are one of the sectors regarded as a global leader. But world-leading creative output doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s shaped by place.

Cities have always bred creative corners; places where artists, writers and performers gravitate first by instinct or necessity, and then strategically. Although seemingly serendipitous, there is a pattern behind their formation: affordability, opportunity, community and proximity.

There’s a reason New York’s Lower East Side became the epicentre of counterculture in the 1960s; why Montmartre in Paris gave rise to generations of avant-garde artists and thinkers; and why hubs such as East London have become havens for musicians, filmmakers, designers and digital pioneers. 

Creative ecosystems like these don’t spring up overnight. They emerge – sometimes by chance, oftentimes by design – in areas where space is accessible, infrastructure and transport links are strong, and diverse, mixed-use neighbourhoods support experimentation and exchange. 

If we want to protect and grow our creative economy, we need to protect and grow the places that power it. That means backing creative clusters, and learning from places that have successfully cultivated the fertile ground for creativity to thrive.

East London as a blueprint

East London offers a compelling model of how creative clusters can be developed, and the impact they can have.

Over the last couple of decades, the area has transformed from a neglected corner of the capital into a hub of cultural power and creativity. The 2012 Olympic Games brought much-needed investment, but it is what followed – intentional support for culture, connectivity and community – that turned the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and surrounding area into a magnet for creative talent.

The Park is now formally recognised as an innovation district in the London Growth Plan, with culture, creativity and the arts positioned as central drivers of regeneration and economic growth. It is home to a powerhouse of institutions on the cultural quarter of East Bank, including Sadler’s Wells,  BBC Music Studios, the London College of Fashion and the University of Arts London; cultural anchors such as the V&A East Storehouse and Abba Voyage; and a growing concentration of business and institutions in hubs such as Here East, from Studio Wayne McGregor to UCL and Liverpool Media Academy.

Its success is no accident. Creative work requires room to experiment, rehearse, build and grow – the kind of expansive, flexible environments that once-industrial areas are uniquely positioned to provide. The transformation of the former Olympic broadcast centre into warehouses and studios shows what’s possible when large-scale infrastructure is reimagined for creative use. Through targeted investment and long-term planning, the area has been deliberately shaped into a creative hub, designed to bring together artists and technologists, performers and programmers, designers and data scientists. 

It’s a place where ideas move quickly and cross pollinate. A choreographer experiments with motion capture technology. A game designer learns from AI researchers. That dynamic friction – between disciplines, backgrounds and ideas – turns neighbourhoods into engines of invention.

Clusters like this don’t just spark creativity; they help it scale. By co-locating universities, studios, rehearsal spaces and start-ups, they offer young people a reason to stay and a clear route from education to employment. This continuity is vital, especially for today’s graduates, who face the toughest job market since 2018.

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Atomos by Studio Wayne McGregor, resident company at Here East. Photo: Ravi Deepres

The role of cultural infrastructure

These spaces are also essential to building vibrant neighbourhoods and sustaining creative growth. Cultural infrastructure not only creates jobs and attracts talent but drives footfall to local businesses and surrounding communities. 

Unlike out-of-town production hubs, cultural infrastructure within cities creates accessible environments where creativity and community can genuinely mix. When the V&A East Storehouse opened in May, it didn’t just provide world-class exhibition space, it created a cultural anchor that legitimises the area as a destination for both residents and visitors, supporting everything from local restaurants to transport links.

This embedded approach to infrastructure creates an important cycle: cultural institutions draw talent and audiences, which supports local businesses, which creates the diverse, vibrant neighbourhoods that attract more creative activity. The result is sustainable growth that benefits entire communities rather than isolated developments.

Cultural infrastructure also provides the essential foundation that creative businesses need to operate effectively. Purpose-built rehearsal spaces, recording studios, galleries and performance venues offer capabilities that individual companies couldn’t afford to develop independently. By sharing these resources across a cluster, creative businesses can access professional-grade facilities while maintaining the flexibility and affordability they need to thrive.

A national opportunity  

East London’s success isn’t unique, but it is intentional. It’s a model that can be replicated across the country, demonstrating what’s possible when creative infrastructure, education and enterprise are brought together with purpose. 

The government’s recent £380 million investment in creative industries represents a significant opportunity for the UK, but its impact will depend on how it’s deployed.

Too often, these investments flow to singular infrastructures in isolation – think Pinewood Studios or the Universal theme park set to open in Bedford. While these have their place, Britain’s creative economy needs investment that creates ecosystems where culture, talent and commercial opportunity converge to support entire creative communities. This means thinking beyond individual buildings towards integrated environments that can adapt and grow with changing creative needs. 

The future of our creative economy

Creative clusters represent more than just a development model – they’re a recognition that creativity is inherently collaborative, that innovation emerges from community, and that sustainable creative economies require infrastructure built to support them. 

The next chapter of Britain’s creative success will be written not by individual institutions or isolated investments, but by the communities and clusters that give creativity room to flourish. If we want to stay at the forefront, we need more places like East London.