Creative improvement, cultural infrastructure and urban zones: a tale of three cities and their cultural districts

This paper critically examines place governance and cultural policy decision-making in the context of three cities - Melbourne, Manchester and Toronto. It takes an infrastructural lens to examine the narrative histories and policy rationales for creating spatial zones in which culture is demarcated as an engine for social, cultural and economic development in each of these cities. By contextualising each city in relation to their individual histories, social, economic and political dimensions, the paper offers insights into the global similarities and differences in cultural district development, exposing a reliance on interests and actors that extend far beyond the state. It finds that the zoning of cultural space intermediates these interests requiring balance and oversight to ensure democratic participation and urban justice. • The paper offers a comparative analysis of three cases of cultural ‘zoning’ in city-regions that have dominant ‘creative city’ narratives. • It is based on empirical research including semi-structured interviews, ethnography and policy analysis. • Literature review produces interdisciplinary analytical frame using concepts such as ‘extrastatecraft’, ‘zoning’ and place governance’. • It moves beyond arguments concerning the success or otherwise of cultural districts to explore the spatial dynamics of governance and statecraft.