• about
• authors
• events
• photos
• speakers
• video
• sponsors

Auckland’s Creative Milieux

by Elise Sterback

Increasingly, urban planners are becoming interested in the creation of “creative milieux”, or spaces where creative activities and people can thrive.

The presence of creative activities attracts other workers, industries and residents to an area. In our globally connected world this is true not just across a city but also nationally and internationally. People travel across oceans to live and work in places that are alive with creativity, to bounce ideas off other creative workers and be inspired by innovative surroundings. As American social economist Timothy Wojan says, “Members of the creative class seek to imbue creativity in all aspects of their lives.”

So whose responsibility is it to support and maintain such milieux? Do we have a responsibility as inhabitants of a city to jump in the game and make our home more attractive to others? Or do we vote with our feet, choose our favourite city to live in and leave councils to come up with their own strategy?

If you’re an Auckland resident who has built your life here, who has personal and/or professional connections with the city, you might not want to throw it all to the wind. What’s the alternative? Encouraging like-minded people to come here and share it with us. People who are going to help enhance the world around them. People we can socialise and collaborate with, who can teach us new tricks and introduce us to new perspectives. By doing this, we can build a sense of momentum, creating a positive commotion that brings excitement and growth into our city and our lives.

We need to start by looking at the specific elements that give Auckland its unique creative spirit, what we love about our city and what aspects of it we can capitalise on best. If we can develop collaborative networks to approach these issues together, then we stand to make much more of an impact than we would working in isolation.

First we need to get the discussion going. We should develop a forum to canvas the opinions and ideas of the creative community. It’s here that Design Assembly can be an ideal catalyst. Or could we even think of it as a virtual creative milieu?