Independent creative subcultures and why they matter

Abstract

Independent creative subcultures, in their various hybrids of music, theatre, art, and new and old media, are the primordial soup of cultural evolution. They have the capacity for a highly definitive influence on their participants – catalysing the transition from consumer to producer for instance – often conferring much broader cultural and social benefit. Creative subcultures make continuing, well-documented, contributions to established city cultures for relatively low outlay. Indie creative activities in particular do not make much money and they do not cost much to set-up. They tend to cluster in areas characterised by low rents and non-residential uses such as retail and industrial areas, but as third wave gentrification reaches into the dark pockets of many cities, cheap rental properties are becoming scarce. This article uses time-series maps of inner Melbourne to show a pattern of tighter and tighter clustering of indie cultural activities as alternative spaces disappear. It looks at where they are going and why, considers the implications of this pattern for the ‘creative city’, and suggests some policy initiatives to help maintain and nurture independent creative scenes. As Melbourne’s live music scene is particularly vulnerable to displacement from increasingly dense and contested inner-urban space, the article focuses on interventions relating to music venues.

Keywords:

• creative subcultures
• creative city
• gentrification
• urban planning and policy

Acknowledgements

The larger research project from which this paper is drawn was an ARC-funded discovery project titled Planning the ‘creative city’: reconciling global strategies with local subcultures (2009–2011). Thanks to our research assistants Jana Perkovic, Simon Wollan, Elanna Nolan, Megan Harper, Jerome Holleman, Andrew Belegrinos and Ammon Beyerle.