Spatial elements in creative clusters

Spatial elements in creative clusters

Aten, Pieternella (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment; TU Delft Urbanism)

Romein, A. (mentor)
van den Burg, L.P.J. (mentor)

Delft University of Technology

Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Complex Cities

2017-11-09

Creative clusters have been a research topic for some decades; their importance for local economic growth and urban development has been discussed among many scholars in the fields of economy, geography, and urban planning. Recently attention has shifted to the role of space on the micro scale in creative clusters. Gaps in knowledge exist between the spatial features and the functioning of creative clusters. The concepts of creative clusters are evolving and new research fields are emerging. This thesis joins this evolution and focusses on the knowledge gap that exist between the role of space and the functioning of creative clusters.
The concept of four meanings is a new step in better understanding the spatial elements of creative clusters. It will be used in this thesis to bridge the gap between the different knowledge fields. The four meanings of space consist of an economic, social, material, and symbolic meaning of space that all contribute to the success of a creative cluster.
Based on a theoretical framework constructed around the existing literature on creative clusters, a new method is proposed: the Method for Analysing Space and Defining Potential (the MASDP). This method uses the four meanings of space to understand the current state of the space in creative clusters, ‘analysing space’. The four meanings of space are also used to image to the future state of the space in creative clusters, ‘defining potential’.
This thesis provides knowledge on the context of creative clusters form theoretical perspective. This knowledge is then translated into a framework for urban designers. This framework lets them better understand the importance of the spatial elements in the functioning of the creative cluster. In doing this, the knowledge gap in the role of space in creative clusters and the gap between theory and practice will be narrowed.

creative clusters
four meanings of space
spatial elements
spatial analysis

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:3d3fd02f-87b3-4321-9a18-467a8a5c3eee

Student theses

master thesis

© 2017 Pieternella Aten