MADE2MEASURE

Maastricht University

MAPPING MAASTRICHT

Mapping Maastricht in the Cultural and Creative Industries

Cultural and Creative industries offer solutions to a variety of challenges. In light of a push towards circularity and a more inclusive economy, creative entrepreneurs are at the forefront of incorporating new materials that allow for a rapid transition away from our traditional linear economic model. The natural innovativeness of the creative industries allows for collaboration with emerging sectors, such as the health economy. This is why Maastricht aims to create opportunities for young companies to flourish and contribute to the larger wellbeing of the city.

Maastricht is a vibrant monument to reinvention and innovation. From its transformation away from an industrial-based economy towards a primarily service-based city in the mid 20th century, to becoming the host of one of the most international universities in the Netherlands, Maastricht has become a more rounded city by embracing change. In the 21st century, in light of the growing severity of climate change, the city of Maastricht has recognized the need of transitioning towards a circular economy which is more in line with the needs of the planet.

In his 2001 seminal publication, The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida presents his theory on human creativity: in an age of post-industrialization and continuously evolving automation, those who work with creativity would be the new driving force for urban development and economic prosperity. These are Cultural and Creative industries. Following this logic, creative professionals are seen as an asset in tackling such challenges.

Since 2015, the municipality has highlighted the Cultural and Creative Industries as a “top sector”, in recognition of the potential this sector has to provide jobs and improve the city. It is of great interest to monitor how the Cultural and Creative sectors have developed, especially with regard to sustainability, and the healthcare field, a promising sector the city wishes to see expand.

Since 2015, the municipality has highlighted the Cultural and Creative Industries as a “top sector”, in recognition of the potential this sector has to provide jobs and improve the city. It is of great interest to monitor how the Cultural and Creative sectors have developed, especially with regard to sustainability, and the healthcare field, a promising sector the city wishes to see expand.

Despite recent challenges, these investments appear to have resulted in a robust sector, which has persevered despite acute economic difficulties. This being said, Maastricht still faces challenges if it wishes to continue to expand the Cultural and Creative sector.

The Cultural Sector: A Resilient Pilar

Despite significant economic disruptions nationally and internationally, Cultural and Creative industries have continued to grow, and represent a stable sector of Maastricht’s economy.

In 2021 Maastricht housed 2119 creative companies within the city borders. Since 2016, this has had an overall growth of 22.06% throughout the entire industry.

There are significant differences between the size and development of the four CCI subsectors. The two largest subsectors are Arts and Cultural Heritage (A&CH), and Creative Business Services (CB). This can be seen above, which shows the absolute number of companies per CCI sub-sector from 2009 until 2021. Over the last five years, Creative Business Services have grown to become the biggest subsector, overtaking Arts and Cultural Heritage which used to be the largest sector up until 2020. Additionally, Creative Business Services has had the highest growth, at 30%. Despite being the third largest subsector, Media and Entertainment has had the second largest growth rate during the 2016-2021 period, growing by 19%.

The CCI in the Netherlands has retained its share of 13.5% of the total economy. Maastricht has grown 0.5% to 17.1% over the last 5 years (2016–2021).

Defining the Agents of Innovation

The Made2Measure project is an in-depth exploration by Maastricht University to understand the value and impact of creative industries within the city and the region. First conceived in 2013, the report highlighted the growth of these industries from 2009 to 2016. Since 2016, the COVID-19 pandemic, the worsening of climate change and the municipality’s priority of making Maastricht an innovative, sustainable and resilient community has highlighted the necessity to re-evaluate the state of the Cultural and Creative industries, as these industries can provide unique solutions and opportunities to a changing city. Based on the definitions used by Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) in the UK and Professor  Söndermann, for this study, the Cultural and Creative industries are divided into the following four cultural industry sub-sectors. This is consistent with our previous report.

Sustainable Source of Stable Employment

The size of the Cultural and Creative industries can also be measured by the number of people who work in these industries.

While FTE (Full-Time Employment) is not a perfect measure, it can be used to provide a holistic overview of the changes in the sector. Over the last five years, Maastricht has seen growth in FTE’s over all it’s CCI subsectors of 17.8%. This growth in employment is most prominent in the Creative Business Sector with growth of 24%. In comparison, the larger Maastricht economy grew by only 2.4% during the same turbulent five year period.

When Creative Industries are excluded, the growth of the Maastricht economy is further reduced to 1.64%.

Maastricht: A Story of Success Heritage

The 17.8% growth in employment within Maastricht’s CCIs is comparable to the national CCI growth in employment of 22% over this same time period. This reveals a stable source of employment for Maastricht – a city whose overall employment growth of 2.4% is growing at a lower rate than the national average of 11% over these last five years.

Maastricht continues to be a leader in South Limburg; 33% of the creative companies in South Limburg are based in Maastricht.

Composition and Resilience

While CCI have continued to grow, it is of value to compare this growth and development to previous data that was gathered in the first installation of the Made2Measure project.

Despite the Covid-19 knock during 2020, the composition of the various subsectors have stayed broadly the same over the last five years, with Creative Business Services seeing the largest growth.

The chart  above shows a side by side comparison of the composition of the Cultural and Creative industry sub-sectors for the years of 2016 and 2021. As can be observed the compositions of these sub-sectors remains virtually unchanged, signalling little disruption to these different sub-sectors. In the time from 2016 to 2021, Creative Business Services have expanded by 2% and both Media and Entertainment and Arts and Cultural Heritage have decreased in total share.

The graph below, which includes data from the 2009-2016 study, shows a decrease of growth rate. The 2009-2016 period showed a remarkable 48% growth in the industry. This number has fallen to 22% from 2016-2021. Likewise, in the period of 2009-2016 CCI increased its share of total economy by 19.13%. The period of 2016-2021 is marked by an increase in share of just 3.21%. Fashion in particular, which includes jewellery and manufacturing has lagged in growth of total economy, with a negative growth of 9.51% for the years of 2016-2021.

Explaining the slower rate of growth from 2016 to 2021 compared to the 2009 to 2016 period will require further research. However, most likely, external factors related to the COVID-19 Pandem- ic are strong contributing influences. While fashion does seems to decrease dramatically, this is the smallest sub-sector, and so any change in the total number of companies drastically affects the growth or decline of the subsector.

Cultural and Creative Industries at the Forefront of Circularity

Cultural and Creative industries can be a catalyst for growth and change. The potential for crossover amongst creative industries and new areas of economic opportunity are of special interest to the city of Maastricht. Through surveys*, we reached out to Cultural and Creative companies on their insight into circularity and health and wellbeing.

*This data, while insightful, only represents a small sample of businesses in Maastricht who are mostly entrepreneurs.

Circularity

There is great interest among CCI to increase the use of new materials, and the use of bio-materials. Brightlands, a set of innovation campuses working in the fields of chemistry, health and sustainability, has the opportunity to connect with local creatives and support their need for sustainable materials. As individuals, entrepreneurs feel that they are of little interest as clients, and so feel sidelined by bio-material creators. Likeminded entrepreneurs highlight their desire to connect, aiding collective negotiation and adoption of new materials.

Health and Wellbeing

Cultural and Creative industries can play a role in highlighting and de-stigmatising mental health issues. In shaping public space and the aesthetic of a city, creative industries can increase the livability of a city, and thus the wellbeing of its inhabitants. The link between the health sector and Cultural and Creative industries is an underexplored area, with significant potential.

Opportunities for Fostering Pioneering Spirit

Growth in Cultural and Creative industries has slowed in the last five years, compared to previous years. Investment in the Cultural and Creative industries should be encouraged if the city is to maintain this area as a priority.

Social Workspace for All

In the wake of COVID-19 entrepreneurs feel isolated in their mission of creating sustainable value in Maastricht. Access to a network, and space to collaborate is a necessity for a more creative and innovative city.

 

Studios and Space Continues to be Limited

While the municipality is continuously working towards facilitating space for creatives, the affordability of space in a growing city like Maastricht continues to be an issue. In order to prevent a loss of talent, it is vital to invest in the affordability of spaces and creative hubs.

 

Maintaining Public Access to Collaborative Spaces

In order to foster homegrown talent, Maastricht must continue to offer spaces for young and experimental artists. Spaces that are public facing, and collaborative with little barrier of entry should be cherished.

 

Health and Creativity: An Underexplored Area

If Maastricht is to foster health and wellbeing, it is necessary to promote the opportunities that may exist in collaborating with the healthcare sector, as this is not identified as a priority by many in the Cultural and Creative industry sector.