Telling the untold story: discourses, cultural regeneration and the hybridity of placemaking in Paisley

This thesis explores how discourses of cultural regeneration are formed and represented innewspaper reporting. Though heavily critiqued, the notion that culture-led regenerationinitiatives can leverage improved place perceptions has come to represent a truism withinurban regeneration discourse. I argue that it is important to resist viewing the interaction(s)between culture, place and reputation as a monolith. Culture-led regeneration suggests amore explicitly instrumentalised role whereby culture is principally leveraged as a vehicle foreconomic growth. In contrast, cultural regeneration is said to provide a more holistic versionof culture driven urban regeneration. I explore a specific case of cultural regeneration in theScottish town of Paisley that has been characterised by its negative area reputation. Localpolicy makers and stakeholders have increasingly utilised cultural regeneration as a means tochanging Paisley’s negative reputation and revitalise the town’s economy. This researchutilised qualitative data including documentary data, newspaper data, semi-structuredinterviews and online workshops. I present findings suggesting that discourses of culturalregeneration invoke images of post-industrial decline to legitimise regeneration itself.Furthermore, discourses of cultural regeneration in Paisley tend to foreground flagshipcultural facilities, developing the visitor economy, putting the town on the map and towncentre regeneration. I argue that discourses of cultural regeneration in Paisley retain thelogics of culture-led regeneration and urban neoliberalism. However, Paisley’s approach tocultural regeneration cannot be reduced to the neoliberal logic of culture-led regenerationdespite these similarities. There is the emergence of ‘hybridised placemaking’, whichincorporates the more holistic language of cultural regeneration while retaining the logics ofculture-led regeneration. In exploring these debates, this thesis contributes to debates aboutculture-led regeneration, cultural policy and the construction of area reputations.