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Cities and Culture project
The long term legacy of Glasgow 1990

Centre for Cultural Policy Research, University of Glasgow

The research team produced regular updates on the progress of the Cities and Culture Project until phase one was completed and writing up began in April 2005.

April 2005
Beatriz Garcia and Matthew Reason submit a paper to Media, Culture and Society outlining the core methodologies utilised to assess one of the main legacies of Glasgow 1990 : the radical transformation of media narratives about the city from the bid stage until the post-event period. (See dissemination)

February 2005
Beatriz Garcia has been in touch with the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley Tourist Board to discuss the outcomes of the campaign 'Glasgow: Scotland with Style' following its launch in March 2004. The campaign is being assessed to debate the implications of moving from established approaches to city marketing (of which Glasgow was a pioneer in the early 1980s with the 'Glasgow's Miles Better' campaign) to the current emphasis on city branding. A paper discussing Glasgow’s projection through marketing and citywide branding campaigns has been proposed to the Leisure Studies Association annual conference that will take place in Edinburgh this year at Napier University (6-8 July 2005).

December 2004
A book contract has been secured with Ashgate to publish the main project findings. The book will be part of the 'Re-materialising Cultural Geography' series.

October 2004
Phase two of the Cities and Culture project is currently under preparation. After completing the analysis of findings on Glasgow 1990 as an initial case study, the research will involve a comparative study with selected cities around the UK and the rest of Europe. The project will maintain its focus on the long-term legacy of culture-led urban regeneration with a particular emphasis on assessing the effects of bidding for and hosting major events. Cities that are currently under consideration for the comparative study include Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle-Gateshead, Dublin and Barcelona. Contacts are being established in each of these cities to develop working collaborations.

The dissemination of findings from phase one of the project is underway, with two papers currently in press, a book chapter recently published, and a book manuscript in progress.

August 2004
The main focus of the project between July and September is the preparation of a book proposal that explores the image, policy and identity legacies of hosting the European City of Culture in Glasgow during 1990. The book will be the culmination of the first stage of the Cities and Culture Project, focusing on Glasgow as a case study but drawing implications for other cities around the UK, Europe and beyond.

June 2004
The textual analysis of transcriptions from interviews and focus groups has continued and is now close to completion. On 10 June, a final discussion forum took place with representatives from Glasgow City Council who had an involvement in Glasgow 1990 -either representing the then District Council or other institutions. The discussion focused on the evolution of urban cultural policy priorities, and the impact of change in the structure of local authorities.

April 2004
Work during February and March has focused on the textual analysis of transcriptions from interviews and focus groups. The initial analysis focuses on identifying references to Glasgow's quality of life and cultural vibrancy over the past thirteen years and the way they relate to discussions around levels of public and/or private provision for cultural activity. This analysis is currently being cross-referenced with findings from the content analysis of press clippings and the review of policy and strategic documents. Adrienne Scullion, CCPR Academic Director, has been successful in an AHRB research leave application and was awarded funding which will allow her to participate in the writing up stage of the project.

February 2004
Initial findings from the press content analysis undertaken as part of the project were presented at a one-day seminar on Images of the City: Glasgow’s Changing International Appeal, hosted by the Centre for Cultural Policy Research on 23 January 2004.

The project team also held the sixth and final discussion forum in January with representatives of the cultural industries. The discussion forums have brought together experts and leaders from different sectors of Glasgow's cultural and business worlds.

Matthew Reason, Research Assistant, left CCPR at the end of January and took up his new post of Research Fellow at York St John College. The Centre wishes Matthew well in his new role.

December 2003
The research team will be hosting a discussion forum on Glasgow’s position as a centre for cultural or creative industries (note: not a public event). Progress has been ongoing on the analysis of archival material from the period 1992 to 1997. Meanwhile, an updated research description is now available on these web pages.

October 2003
The archival and documentation review of relevant government and Glasgow-based public agencies materials produced between 1986 and 1991 has been completed. Work has started in the Glasgow City Halls to identify other relevant unpublished City Council materials for the 1992 to 2000 period.

Beatriz García has conducted four interviews with representatives from Glasgow City Council and the now defunct Strathclyde Regional Council. In total, 30 personal interviews have been conducted to date with representatives from public and private agencies, governing bodies, cultural programmers, artists and lobbying groups based in Glasgow and involved in the city’s cultural life in 1990 and/or its aftermath. These interviews have been fully transcribed and are currently being analysed with assistance of text analysis software NVivo.

To complement the information gathered through archival reviews, press content analysis and personal interviews, six discussion forums with special interest groups in Glasgow have been undertaken. The groups were composed of arts journalists, visual artists and gallery owners, tourism and business organisations, venue-based cultural institutions and community arts organisations. The research team is currently considering the possibility of conducting up to two additional discussion forums with city-based creative entrepreneurs and/or artists involved in music, film, design and architecture.

August 2003
On 6 June, CCPR organised and hosted a workshop of experts on cities and culture on the topic: Cities and Culture- Theoretical Frameworks and Methodologies. Eight researchers joined the CCPR research team to present their perspectives on a range of issues. Following the workshop, the participants have, in association with the Centre, agreed to constitute a 'Forum of Experts on Cities and Culture'. This forum will act as a growing network of scholars developing work on this topic, exchanging information about research frameworks and methodologies and providing advice and feedback on respective projects. The forum is in its very early stages. The CCPR will continue to update information on its evolution, in particular, by providing links to the projects and institutions with which forum members are related.

June 2003
The first stage of the press content analysis (1986-1991) is complete. A working paper on these findings has been prepared. Research has now started on the post-1990 period looking at the articles available in the electronic newspaper database Lexis Nexis from 1993 onwards.

April 2003
The study of the long-term legacies of Glasgow 1990 (phase one of the Cities and Culture Project) is currently focusing on completing the content analysis of national and international press clippings generated in the lead up to and post-1990. The review of clippings produced during 1990 was completed in December and an academic paper is being written to discuss the research methodology and initial findings. A summary report is also being produced and will be available on the CCPR website in the next few weeks. Other aspects of the study include the review of archives from local authorities at the time (Strathclyde Regional Council and Glasgow City Council) and personal interviews with representatives from governing agencies, cultural groups, private corporations and lobbying groups which had some involvement in the funding, production, promotion and/or reporting of the event.