Culture and Creativity in Walthamstow
Exploring how culture and creativity are understood, practiced and experienced in Walthamstow and a strategy for how they can be better supported.
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How are culture and creativity understood, practiced and experienced in Walthamstow? This multi-threaded research project by DK-CM and the London Borough of Waltham Forest’s Area Regeneration Team, supported by the Waltham Forest Young Advisors, attempts to answer these questions using an array of different research methods, before setting out a series of recommendations, actions and a spatial strategy for supporting culture ad creativity in the town.
In Walthamstow there is an active cultural and creative scene, which is supported by the highest concentration of arts and cultural venues in Waltham Forest, mostly located around Hoe Street. The Council has actively contributed to enhancing this offer with investment into the refurbishment of Soho Theatre Walthamstow (former Granada Cinema), William Morris Gallery and Fellowship Square.Building on the momentum gathered with its designation as the first London Borough of Culture in 2019, there is a strong agenda for cultural growth across the borough, with an exciting number of small, mediumor large-scale cultural and creative projects being implemented or supported since then.The Council is now considering opportunities to further strengthen Walthamstow as a cultural and creative centre for the Borough, with the aim of better understanding and supporting the cultural and creative businesses and networks already existing in Waltham Forest and facilitate the development of new ones.
The project used innovative digital methods to engage at all stages, and findings were disseminated via a series of lively, accessible instagram stories.
The full set of documents can be downloaded here.
Credits
- Collaborator: Waltham Forest Young Advisors
- Client: London Borough of Waltham Forest
- Dates: 2022-4
- Status: Completed
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DK-CM and the Waltham Forest Young Advisors working together on the project.
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