Clusters of Cultural and Creative Industries: Empirical Evidence for Catalonia

Abstract

Creative clusters are increasingly being recognized as vital tools in the promotion of a city’s competitiveness, innovation, urban development, and growth in developed countries. This paper studies the geography of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) in Barcelona (Spain) for the years 2009 and 2017. We investigate the spatial distribution of firms using the Scan methodology, which identifies the localization of clusters and assigns them statistical significance. Our findings indicate that CCIs are not haphazardly located, as they tend to cluster in and around Barcelona’s prime districts. The evolution of the clusters over nine years reveals distinct patterns of clustering among the twelve sub-sectors of CCIs. The mature clusters in Barcelona’s core tend toward greater growth and have enhanced transformation capabilities. Our results can guide CCIs cluster policy, taking into account the specificity of each sub-sector. In addition, they can direct place-based development strategies and creative urban planning and restructuring within a polycentric context. Keywords: creative industries, clusters, scan statistics, Barcelona. JEL codes: C38, Z10