The Case of Bigg Market, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Heritage as a Vehicle for Development: The case of Bigg Market, Newcastle upon Tyne Loes Veldpaus and John Pendlebury School of Architecture Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK doi:10.1080/02697459.2019.1637168 Abstract: In this paper we examine the way conservation-planning has changed since the global economic crisis in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK), where austerity is still an all- consuming issue. Focusing upon a recent project around the Bigg Market, a historic public space, we map the new ‘conservation-planning assemblage’ where ‘other-than- public' forms of management have taken hold. We identify impacts of austerity, deregulation and a smaller state ideology, and show how the agency of heritage assets and narratives in urban context is focussed on economic performance and competitiveness. Within the conservation-planning assemblage, roles and responsibilities have changed, and we reflect on the impact this has on conservation policy and practice. Keywords: urban governance; heritage; conservation-planning; austerity, Business Improvement District; Newcastle upon Tyne Bigg Market Banter Mentioning to someone in Newcastle that Bigg Market is the case study we are working on is typically met with a smile followed by raised eyebrows, a wink, or a ‘must be interesting field work…’. The Bigg Market in Newcastle upon Tyne (England, UK) connotes the city’s urban nightlife, as a place with undercurrents of violence, associated with a drinking culture, and a classed and gendered sense of place (Nicholls, 2017, p. 125). As the market area of medieval Newcastle, there is a long history to this, but the explicit connotation has been strengthened in recent history.
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