Some Notes and Thoughts from Van and Hu (2009)

According to Van (2009), at present, the network cluster formed with accumulation regime. Additionally, creative cluster is the sub-cluster from industrial clusters.

There are some connections between urban development and competitive power ，when one company was classifying into creative industry spatial agglomeration.

Van mentioned, originally, in Berlin, some real estate of important creative cluster was organized by shareholder project format. Afterwards, from 2004 it’s transformed into ‘regional management’. In other words, the government intervenes in this area and begins to corporate with real estate developer.

In London, even the spatial clusters were sorted out ambiguously, the tendency of creative cluster is exist.

Van also uses Maskell(2001) notes to analyze cluster and development in creative industry from the three aspects.

First of all, some firms are willing to relocate or partly relocate into cluster for potential customers in such area. For example, the Magazine of Urban China relocated their Shanghai Branch office instead of moving in one of creative industry park in Yangpu District.

In addition, some dominant tendency also will lead some firms to think about what sector of creative industry they should get involved in. Give an example, In Ningbo, the project of Industrial Design and Creative Park will give lots of opportunity for design studios and advertising companies. Owing to this creative park already have some relationships with manufacturing companies in Ningbo. According to Hu (2009), on account of the small medium scale manufactures in Ningbo had developed very well. However, if they want achieve better performance; the reality is that their ability is limited for reason of lack of industrial design skill. Therefore, in such situation, design studios in the Industrial Design and Creative Park will definitely have closed relationship with these enterprises. In other words, small medium scale manufactures could benefit from design and their products appearance will be showed in such creative park. In the end, products will get great demand. On the other hand, design studio also could through these designs to demonstrate their strength and gain money.

Finally, the phenomenon of new firms as the spin-offs in cluster becomes more and more common in daily life. Because of technical shift and commercialization, such companies are the good places for staff to expand their imagines and creativity. Do those company forms appear in Ningbo? Next step, I want to interview some persons and figure it out.

One of blueprint of Ningbo Industrial Design and Creative Park

Van Heur, Bas (forthcoming 2009) ‘The Clustering of Creative Networks: Between Myth and Reality’, Urban Studies 46.9.

Hu, Haizhong & Xiao Yingzhe 2009, ‘On interactive relationship between Ningbo constructing industrial park and developing small-medium scale manufactures’, Journal of Zhejiang Wanli University,vol.22,no.1,pp.83-86.