This Cultural Placemaking Research and Knowledge Base (RKB) site was originally created by Five10Twelve as part of Pioneering Places East Kent and funded through the Great Place Scheme by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England.
Since the launch of the site in 2019, cultural placemaking has gone from being a little-used term outside of specialist circles to being placed at the heart of the DCMS enquiry in 2022, “Reimagining where we live: cultural placemaking and the levelling up agenda“.
Pioneering Places East Kent (PPEK): 2017-2021
Pioneering Places was part of the national Great Place Scheme, an ambitious project that will make East Kent an even better place to live, work and visit by exploring heritage, developing civic pride and connecting artists and communities.
Four projects in Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone and Ramsgate were led by cultural organisations to encourage local people to get involved and shape the place where they live. The project was supported through Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with Historic England and Artswork, the South East Bridge. Cultural Placemaking includes feature articles and videos with deep-dive insights from those involved in the project, culminating in an event at Westminster and summary report celebrating achievements across all four sites.
Cultural Development Fund (CDF) Network: 2022-25
Additional funding through DCMS and Arts Council England for the CDF Network has enabled the Cultural Placemaking RKB site to continue to develop, produce new features and insights into the role of culture in the levelling up agenda and to extend its reach across all corners of England.
The Cultural Development Fund (CDF) Network, managed by Five10Twelve since 2020, is the national collective that shares best practice and generates knowledge to capture and celebrate the success of the DCMS CDF investment. By creating the space to nourish, innovate and re-energise for all of the trailblazing CDF projects, we influence, communicate, learn, celebrate, drive further investment and secure the legacy of the Cultural Development Fund.
CDF: Round One
Announced by DCMS as part of the Creative Industries Sector Deal to help the country’s world-leading cultural and creative industries thrive, the five first round CDF locations across England include Creative Estuary, Grimsby, Plymouth, Wakefield and Worcester. Each received a share of £20m to invest in local culture, heritage and creative industries and help drive economic growth.
CDF: Round Two
The second round of CDF projects, announced in March 2022, aims to further widen access to arts and culture in areas with historically low levels of cultural engagement and boost economic growth. Seven additional regional organisations were added to the CDF Network, with projects in Barnsley, Berwick, Isle of Wight, Middlesbrough, Rochdale, Stockport and Torbay.
