‘A Pleasingly Blank Canvas’: Urban Regeneration in Northern Ireland and the Case of Titanic Quarter

Abstract

The ongoing development of Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has already made significant changes to the area. The site on which the Titanic was built has been redeveloped as an area for tourism, business, education and the creative industries. The site has been developed following a significant inflow of private capital, and with the additional support of local government and public finance. This article outlines how economic and political forces have coalesced in Belfast to the point that the violent period of the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland can be said to have created a ‘pleasingly blank canvas for regeneration’.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Robert Porter, Steve Baker and Daniel Jewesbury who commented on earlier drafts of this article. I would also like to thank the participants of Dramatizing the Political – A One Day Symposium at the University of Ulster, 17 September 2010, who offered some insightful feedback on a presentation of a previous version of this article. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the important comments provided and criticisms offered by the anonymous reviewers.