FORM Executive Director Lynda Dorrington with Charles Landry and Jeff Kennett, Perth, 2007; Photographer: Ross Swanborough

Change is afoot in Perth. At least, that is the goal of Creative Capital - a major program under the umbrella of non-profit cultural organisation FORM. Creative Capital works to change both the face and underbelly of this country's most isolated city so that it becomes a more vital place to live; one that is not only on par with Australian cities but also internationally competitive.

Creative Capital recognises that significant links exist between culture, creativity and the development of vibrant, connected urban communities. The program defines both culture and creativity in broad terms: neither is limited to the arts sector, with 'creativity' encompassing imaginative, divergent, alternate ways of thinking and acting across all industries, and 'culture' encompassing the combination of facets that create community and build social capacity - belief, attitude, knowledge, activity, lifestyle. For Creative Capital, culture is the glue that holds diverse groups and individuals together in an environment where they might ordinarily drift apart or run into conflict. Put simply, Creative Capital seeks to strengthen Perth as an urban community.

FORM's Executive Director Lynda Dorrington established Creative Capital in 2005 after identifying serious limitations regarding Western Australia's cultural sector and the repercussions this had on the State as a whole. Many local cultural workers consider that Western Australia's cultural and creative sectors are undernourished by the State and undervalued by the community in comparison to Australia's other states, and especially when compared to many international cities. This in turn is reflected in the greater Perth community and built environment, which many argue lacks creativity, connectivity, cohesion and foresight in terms of city planning, development and the diversification of the local economy.

Creative Capital works to motivate community, private-sector and government members to redress these issues. Creative Capital's project areas fall into four general categories - Urban Activation; Expert Speakers and Workshops; Specialist in Residence; and Social Research, which examine the issues of interaction and participation, as well as talent attraction and retention and cultural development.

Charles Landry speaking at the Creative Capital public presentation at His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, 2006 Photographer: Ross Swanborough

Urban Activation sees Creative Capital's expertise transferred to the broader Perth community in the form of seed programming. Ideas and skills are filtered out so that members of the Perth community can devise and manage their own projects under the guidance and facilitation of Creative Capital staff. This means that the people who live and work in Perth can shape and gain ownership of their own cultural identity. This not only fosters a more diverse set of activities and ideas, but will enable the benefits and impact of Creative Capital to outlast the duration of the program. Currently, the primary component of Urban Activation incorporates a series of projects designed to activate Perth's city laneways.

A series of Expert Speakers and workshops is also in place, which draws on the expertise of visiting guests from five core fields: urban strategy, philanthropy, environmental science, place activation and economy. Audience focus is balanced between community members and key people from the private and public sectors. This attempts to initiate a wave of change from the top - where policies and decisions are made - which will trickle down to motivate the public realm. Because of this, events occur both behind-the-scenes and in the form of public presentations. Previous guests brought to Perth by Creative Capital include Al Gore, ex-American Vice President and advocate of climate change; Jeff Kennett, former Victorian premier and leader in the argument for cultural investment; Opher Yom Tov, Director of the Shanghai office of innovative design firm IDEO; Carol Coletta, President and CEO of Chicago-based urban catalyst CEOs for Cities; and Professor John Worthington, architect and urban development strategist specialising in 'the emerging workplace' and health and educational developments.

Creative Capital's first Specialist in Residence was the eminent Charles Landry - international cultural strategist and founder of COMEDIA, an organisation dedicated to urban renewal through creativity. Through the Specialist in Residence construct, Charles spent extended periods of time in Perth, working directly with Creative Capital staff in a research and project facilitation capacity. Guests visiting Perth as part of the Specialist in Residence program also work with government and corporate leaders under the guidance of Creative Capital.

Audience at the Creative Capital public debate with Carol Coletta and Charles Landry, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, 2007 Photographer: Ross Swanborough

Advising and consolidating the above programs is a social research curriculum which provides the backbone to project goals and helps guide future areas of programming. Research is undertaken by key Creative Capital staff and underpinned by collaboration with visiting experts and Specialist in Residence guests, as well as relevant people from Western Australia's academic community.

While it may not seem relevant to a cultural organisation's values, pushing for the diversification of Western Australia's economy is another important goal for Creative Capital, which sees it as a central factor not only in future-proofing the State economically, but also encouraging a more diverse populace and vibrant cultural environment. Significantly, it also makes room for viable commercial marketplaces and business practice for those working in the local craft and design sector.

Certainly, an economy driven by industries other than resources (gas, oil, minerals) creates opportunities for alternate-industry workers and development, including that of the 'Creative Class' - a term penned by cultural/economic competitiveness expert Richard Florida. This demographic (which includes but is not limited to those working in the design and cultural sectors) is highly educated, innovative, talented and mobile. Therefore it is highly desirable in the shaping of a competitive, dynamic city. For Perth (and greater Western Australia), the attraction and retention of people like this is central to positioning the city as a competitive, creative metropolis, as they not only bring a higher level of knowledge and talent to the State, but function to inspire and nurture those qualities among others. This enables an ongoing flow of fresh ideas, projects and knowledge-exchange that can propel Perth into the future and ensure it is able to adapt, reproduce and remain competitive.

However, this sought-after demographic comes with rigorous prerequisites for choosing its home/work city. It demands such amenities as affordable living environments, cafes, bars and other niche commercial ventures, access to diverse cultural activities, interconnected transport infrastructure, high environmental standards, high-quality public spaces, connectivity and walkability.¹ If a city lacks these amenities then this mobile demographic simply will not go there, instead choosing to reside in acknowledged vibrant centres such as Melbourne, Copenhagen or Barcelona.

This may not at first seem a problem for Perth, a city riding high on the current resources boom. Perth may have a widely perceived lack of 'vibrancy' factors - such as rigid liquor-licensing laws, minimal al fresco dining and a lack of quality cultural programming and funding avenues. However, many locals argue that the combination of a rich local economy and a beautiful natural environment is enough. After all, it is easy to surmise that if the money is good, the views are grand and you attend the theatre once a month, why complain about lack of cultural choice?

Suburban Perth, 2006
Photographer: Ross Swanborough

But it isn't enough; and attending the theatre (or any other cultural event) is only one facet of the larger cultural picture. The timing of Creative Capital is therefore crucial. Western Australia has the economic means to instigate real change, and leave a legacy for the future. This would ensure Perth remains environmentally, economically and socially sustainable even after the boom. The challenge is to encourage Western Australia's government and private sectors to make decisions based on the need to future-proof the city in an era of extreme financial confidence and subsequent complacency.

Without this foresight the Perth community, which includes people trying to make artistic and commercial headway in design/craft practice, comes up short. With hasty development to accommodate a bulging yet increasingly transient population, Perth runs the risk of becoming a shell of itself - all potential and no substance. In surveys and community feedback commissioned as part of its programming, Creative Capital staff discovered - not unsurprisingly - that the Perth community is crying out for more ways to interact in, and personalize, their city. In short, they want to feel a part of their city culture. They want to feel as though they are actively contributing to and shaping the environment in which they inhabit, thus fostering an essential sense of belonging.

The Flying Scotsman Hotel in Mount Lawley, 2006
Photographer: Ross Swanborough

As FORM's Creative Capital programmers know, this is not rocket-science. Humans have always sought to belong to a place, to not merely exist beside one another, but live in active connectivity to one another. Indeed, Florida defines the interaction of diverse community groups as one of three dimensions that combine to create 'quality of place'².

One way of looking at the issues Perth faces is to consider a city space as a stage on which its populace wants to interact and participate. Approaching it in this way brings forth questions focusing on what it takes to motivate people to participate in local culture and interact with one another outside of private, domestic spaces - what is needed to turn Perth into a world-class stage.

Essentially, Creative Capital seeks to find solutions to all of the above questions and issues. Research, surveys, event feedback and an online petition assist in pinpointing exactly what Perth's citizens consider as requirements of vibrancy. The results are diverse; however common threads appear including a desire for relaxed regulatory systems, more cultural events, better public transport, inspiring architecture, heightened connectivity to the Swan River foreshore, more CBD housing options, attractive streetscapes and more city-centric activity such as markets, bars and small business.

While Creative Capital currently focuses on Perth's underloved and underutilized city centre, it has much potential to be transferred to regional Western Australia due to its broader emphasis on building social capacity through creativity, and constructing avenues for community interaction, expression, diversity and wellbeing.

Elisha Buttler
September, 2007

Elisha Buttler is a writer and curator based at FORM in Perth. She has written cultural theory for Art & Australia, Arts Hub, UK Craft, Perth Now and The North West Telegraph. She also has also had fiction published in Southerly, Wet Ink, Page Seventeen and Lip.

A series of articles, interviews and presentations have been published from the Creative Capital program and can be read by visiting the FORM website.

Footnotes

1. Baum, S et al, The Role of Community and Lifestyle in the Making of a Knowledge City, Urban Research Program, Griffith University, Brisbane, 2007, pp 20-24.
2. Florida, R., The Rise of the Creative Class and How it's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life, Basic Books, New York, 2002, pp 231-232.