The Aesthetic Sustainable Model-Practical Insights from Shanghai's Creative Clusters

Along with the large subject of urban development, the cultural-creative cluster strategy not only reflects the evolution of urban cultural policies (including economic, planning, and investment factors) but reflects the popular city policy of establishing clusters as a means of creating spaces and regions for cultural production and creativity (Mommaas, 2004). In Shanghai's urban policy, constructing an international cultural metropolis will be a major objective of the 14th Five-Year Plan. These plans include developing cultural industries and accelerating the development of a major creative cluster. Thus, new possibilities of creative clusters strategies emerge.

Building upon the theoretical aesthetics framework presented in last ICCPR conference paper, which focused on integrating aesthetics into cultural policy and urban development, this follow-up study delves into practical findings from the Shanghai creative clusters. It addresses how this aesthetics framework has been applied and the tangible outcomes it has yielded in transforming Shanghai into a global city of innovation and leadership.

Methodologically, this study conducts in-depth analyses of two significant case studies: the Hengfu Area and West Bund. These areas exemplify the merging of historical context with future possibilities, underlining the transition of Shanghai's creative clusters from purely economic engines to sustainable cultural hubs.

The findings reveal a new model for sustainable creative cluster development. This model proposes a policy and design framework that not only catalyses economic growth but also integrates sustainability and aesthetics into the core of urban development. The paper argues for the necessity of a creative cluster policy ecosystem that encompasses these elements.

The original contribution of this research lies in its interdisciplinary approach and the construction of a unique model that bridges the gap between cultural policy, urban development, and sustainability. The paper's original contribution also lies in its practical demonstration of the previously theorized aesthetics framework. This model serves as a strategic pathway for other global cities aiming to balance economic growth with sustainable and aesthetic urban development."

 

Ziling Yang is a final year Ph.D. student in Creative Industries. I hold a Master’s degree in Arts, Enterprise, and Development from the Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies, University of Warwick, and a Bachelor's degree in Advertising from the Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai.