(re)defining the role of the ‘maker’ in placemaking: A Framework for Creative Civic Engagement

This thesis examines the transformative potential of creative civic engagement in shaping place-based policy, practice, and identity, with a focus on post-industrial towns in northern England. Situated within creative placemaking, participatory art, and cultural policy, it explores how creative practices can enable meaningful, inclusive, and sustained civic engagement; how creative practitioners, policymakers, and communities collaborate as ‘makers’ of place and policy; and how a structured yet adaptable framework can support these processes.

The research adopts a practice-based, action-research methodology, integrating creative, design-led approaches. Through reflective analysis of my own creative practice and live projects, I developed and tested a Framework for Creative Civic Engagement (CCE), a methodology that positions creative placemaking as an inclusive, collaborative, and sustainable approach to shaping places and influencing policy.

Empirical evidence is drawn from three longitudinal case studies - Blackburn is Open, Glossop Creates, and The Maker’s Mile - each situated in towns with populations between 33,000 and 148,000. These demonstrate how creative civic engagement can operate effectively across scales: from institutional, council-led programmes to grassroots community initiatives and strategic policy interventions. The case studies show how creative practitioners act as catalysts, collaborators, and advocates, working alongside policymakers and communities to co-produce cultural, social, and economic change, influencing local decision-making and policy agendas.

This thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge, both theoretical and practical, by evidencing the CCE Framework as a robust, adaptable methodology that addresses gaps in evaluation models for culture-led, place-based initiatives. It demonstrates how creative civic engagement can inform local policy, shape cultural strategy, and contribute to regional devolution deals by embedding culture within broader socio-economic agendas.

By critically reflecting on my multifaceted role as practitioner-researcher, the thesis redefines the ‘maker’ in placemaking as a collective civic role enacted by diverse makers, offering insights and evidence to support more inclusive and sustainable communities.