Understanding the Cultural 'Case': Class, Identity and the Regeneration of Newcastle Gateshead.

This article explores social class, social identity and the urban regeneration in NewcastleGateshead, England. British cities are looking to cultural investment to provide an alternative to the de-industrialized past that has apparently destroyed the identities upon which those cities were built. However, the social impact of culture-led regeneration remains uncertain. The concern that is raised in academic and policy debates is the degree to which such investment deepens existing patterns of social exclusion, ironically, as cities seek a post-industrial future, the social divisions that characterize that future may be intensified along traditional industrial lines. It is suggested that, in order to understand the social, economic and cultural impact of culture-led regeneration, a preoccupation with headline figures proving the cultural case needs to be put to one side in favour of a robust longitudinal understanding of the meanings with which such developments are endowed by policy-makers and local residents alike. This article will focus on a 10-year longitudinal project currently being undertaken to study the social, cultural and economic impact of culture-led regeneration on NewcastleGateshead Quayside.