Arts, Heritage and Liveability: Assessing the effectiveness of community arts and heritage initiatives in Kingston Upon Hull

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This fellowship intends to develop a body of research and academic expertise which contributes to how we can understand and assess the effectiveness of community arts/heritage programmes on urban communities. This process begins with publishing two pieces of research from my PhD which will provide examples of how arts/heritage programmes have affected residents from the Robin Hood Gardens estate in East London. The first will explore how different forms of arts and heritage led regeneration have contributed to the changing representation of the estate and how it has impacted its demolition. This provides an important case study which will add to academic discussions which explore the emotional and physical impacts surrounding the destruction of home, and how this is linked to wider debates within regeneration policy. The second will focus on developing a range of investigative social science methods and a research framework which can be used by researchers to creatively assess the material and social impacts of arts/heritage interventions on other urban communities.These activities will be developed further by undertaking a research project in Hull, which will generate a discussion around two community arts groups (Absolutely Cultured & Back to Ours) and their role in improving arts access and local 'liveability'. Drawing upon interviews, focus groups, policy analysis and ethnography it will address calls within academic literature that seek to understand and demonstrate the effectiveness of arts/heritage focused engagement programmes. This research is significant, especially five years after the 2017 City of Culture, as it will explore the wide variety of arts/heritage regeneration schemes that have attempted to address local social and cultural deprivation since. It therefore builds on my previous work by extending its focus to community arts/heritage projects in Hull, while also exploring opportunities for policy intervention that can improve local wellbeing and quality of life.The research generated from these activities will then be shared through several different approaches, firstly the publications from the PhD will contribute to paper sessions at two major geography conferences (The American Association of Geographers Conference & The RGS-IBG Urban Geography Research Group Annual Conference). This will allow me to gather feedback on the projects research and bring Cultural Geography and Urban Studies into closer dialogue over how arts engagement can impact cities. Secondly, the data from the research project will produce a series of blog posts on the fellowship's website, an infographic, and a policy brief. The last two of these will be generated in partnership with Absolutely Cultured, Back to Ours and participants from the focus groups. By developing a policy brief the project will connect community arts and heritage programmes with the wider national levelling up agenda and will extend current cultural policy beyond short term economic and aesthetic considerations.Woven through each of these activities will be range of knowledge exchange and academic development opportunities. This will include teaching three guest lectures based on my current research, co-supervising three third year dissertations, as well as some limited administrative responsibilities. This will develop my range of academic skills and ensure that I am able to share the knowledge generated throughout the fellowship to university students through research informed teaching.Each of these fellowship activities will facilitate the application of my existing research to a set of contemporary societal issues and academic debates, this will allow me to advance towards my chosen career, alongside providing tangible benefits to Hull residents, local government, and community arts/heritage groups in the city.