The Challenge

Most of our cities struggle to retain affordable space as rapid development displaces creatives with rising rents and increased taxes. Cities are developing innovative solutions and models to secure and grow affordable workspace, which is so crucial to the creative economy.  

Cities like San Francisco and London have developed models including CAST (Community Arts Stabilisation Trust) and the Creative Land Trust respectively and successfully shoring up affordable space in their cities.  

Austin has a growing demand for creative space and wanted to learn from Sydney and Melbourne about their economic development policies and public-private approaches. 

The Exchange

Austin visited Sydney and Melbourne with a programme that included:  

• Learning about Sydney’s Creative Spaces and Built Environment project established in 2015.  
• Sessions about Sydney’s changes in the city building and planning laws to adapt to the creative economy and responding to the needs of small businesses.  
• Met with the cross-disciplinary team of city specialists that was created and is developing recommendations for regulatory reforms. 
• Learning about Melbourne’s Creative Strategy 2018-2028. 
• Met with leader for Creative Spaces, a Melbourne program that manages affordable creative spaces from artist studios to exhibition galleries.  
• Learnt about the Creative Spaces website as the go-to resource for artists looking for affordable space.  

Lessons Learned

• Bringing together the right mix of city departments required for regulatory changes will bring long-term impact and systemic change.  
• Mapping cultural spaces and infrastructure makes it easier to track what is at risk of loss.  
• Mapping affordable spaces allows the creation of a city directory useful for creatives.  
• The directory can include permanent and meanwhile spaces, office out-of-hours or unlikely spaces such as empty shops or disused car park.

Impact

Since the exchange, Austin has launched a Creative Space Assistance Programme, which offers awards between $5,000 and $50,000 to commercial creative spaces facing displacement or new leases at higher and unaffordable rates.

Grant funds may be used for revenue-generating space improvements, partial lease payments, and gap financing for creative space purchases. $1.5million was awarded to 65 applicants in 2023 and the fund is due to open for another round in 2024. Additional initiatives are in the pipeline, including Fsupport for 13 creative spaces, with nearly $20 million allocated to safeguard space. 

Images Courtesy © WCCF