Culture shapes place. But how do we measure its value?
Culture plays a pivotal role in shaping place identity, fostering social cohesion and improving wellbeing, yet measuring its impact and reflecting the breadth of cultural activity across communities remains challenging.
Barnsley Bright Nights 2025. Northern Lights Celestial Carnival. Photo by James Mulkeen.
In 2025, the Centre for Cultural Value led the development of the Cultural Indicator Suite, a practical framework designed to measure and communicate the holistic everyday cultural vitality of the places we live.
This work was informed by research, policy insight and local authority expertise to better understand how cultural vitality contributes to thriving, resilient and inclusive communities.
We are now extending this research theme to explore further questions:
What does cultural vitality look like on the ground? What contributes to it? And how can cultural indicators inform better local decision-making and policy?
Barnsley Bright Nights 2025 Northern Lights Celestial Carnival Photo by James Mulkeen
What do we mean by cultural vitality?
The cultural vitality of a place is demonstrated by the depth, relevance and connectivity of its cultural life, from highly visible activities such as festivals and performances to informal, everyday creativity in green spaces and the home.
When the cultural vitality of a community is thriving, it fosters a sense of belonging, strengthening the social fabric by bringing people together in shared spaces and through collective cultural experiences. Cultural vitality looks different in every place as it responds directly to local needs, strengths and structures. A place-based approach to measuring cultural vitality recognises this diversity while building shared frameworks for understanding cultural value.
Derby Feste – Photo by Tom Platinum Morley
What next for cultural vitality?
The Centre for Cultural Value is working with local authorities, communities, embedded researchers and international partners to test and refine the Cultural Indicator Suite in real-world settings. Putting theory into practice, our next phase of work will explore how cultural indicators can:
- Ensure communities are at the core of how cultural vitality is measured
- Support local cultural strategy development
- Inform policy and funding decision-making
- Strengthen cross-sector collaboration
- Demonstrate the wider social impact of culture.
We will share research findings, case studies and learning resources as this work progresses. For regular updates, sign up to our email list.
