Cities ‘must have unique identities’

Oct 8 2007 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

NORTH-East cities must stop competing with each other and instead build their own distinct identity, according to planning experts.

A report by think-tank The Work Foundation has called for local leaders to create distinct towns and cities rather than the “high-street clones and copy-cat developments” seen across the UK.

And while Newcastle has been praised, the report’s author has warned regeneration chiefs to be wary of repeating the mistake of the past by investing in just one industry.

Neil Lee said the work done to rejuvenate Newcastle in the last decade, such as the ground-breaking Science City work, could be an example to the rest of the country.

He said: “Newcastle has always had quite a strong identity, for example through the football club, and it can use this to its advantage.

“It’s really only over the last 10 years that Newcastle has grown as a city and it has done so through establishing its own unique identity.

“One of the ways in which Newcastle has succeeded has been in its approach to public arts.

“If you look at the Angel of the North (in Gateshead), it worked because it was followed with a new focus on culture in the city.”

And it is not just the Angel of the North which continues to win praise. In May the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment named the streets in Newcastle’s Grainger Town area as some of the greatest in England.

However the report warned developers against trying to design impressive buildings for “art’s sake alone.” Mr Lee’s report said: “There is a real danger that, by littering the nation’s cities with expensive but badly-designed buildings these may prove irritating in the least for future generations.”

Council leader John Shipley welcomed the report, adding the city is already following a lot of the recommendations.

“We are building a retail strategy to ensure we have more than just the usual high street stores here, because now you need more than those to bring in people to the city.

“And they are right to say we should avoid focusing on just one area, because of course there is a risk in putting all your eggs in one basket.

“But you do have to have a strong business focus upon which to build.

“If we ask what do people associate with Newcastle then it has to be more than just the football or Brown Ale.

“We have to create something new for the city to lead on now and if you look at stem cell research or the age related research we are now world leaders.”

Andrew Dixon, chief executive of the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, said: “Over the last 10 years we have established more than 20 cultural projects that have helped give NewcastleGateshead an incredibly strong sense of identity that you do not get in a lot of places. We are recognised not just within the region but nationally and internationally.”