Civic gold rush : cultural planning and the politics of the third way

Cultural planning is a strategic approach to city re-imaging and cultural industries development that variously involves establishing cultural precincts, nurturing creative activity, and re-evaluating public life and civic identity. In the context of varying political configurations and local histories, cultural planning is touted as a policy intervention capable of achieving a wide range of cultural, social, economic and urban outcomes. This article considers key factors leading to, and legitimating, the incorporation of so many aspects of social and human endeavour into cultural planning, and the reasons why cultural planning must inevitably fail in its own terms. Two influences are identified as being particularly important. First, the adoption by cultural planning of an understanding of culture as the entire way of life of a group or community provides theoretical legitimacy for its wide-ranging agenda but is also a source of instability. Second, it is argued that the political priorities of the 'Third Way' have been significant factors shaping cultural planning around the world. Central here is the use of cultural planning as a tool for achieving social inclusion and citizenship - aims that are imagined principally in terms of economic accumulation.