Creative industry clusters in Shanghai: A success story?

Abstract

This paper examines the development of creative industry clusters in Shanghai. It looks at the cautious adoption of the creative industries agenda by the Chinese government and how Shanghai was to adopt this more positively. The paper also looks at the complex provenance of the creative clusters concept and how Shanghai focused more on its urban regeneration effects rather than its role as 'industry base'. We try to show how the creative industries agenda, viewing this sector as advanced business services, allowed creative clusters to be linked to a powerful real estate model. However, the paper suggests that this undermined much of the functioning of creative clusters and uncoupled them from most their original intent, retaining mostly just the aesthetic appeal to a 'creative class'. The paper ends by an examination of how these clusters might be repurposed as part of the adoption of a more holistic urban cultural economy approach. © 2013 © 2013 Taylor & Francis.