To attain its overarching goal, the study will complete the following objectives:

• Make an inventory of local policy actions aiming to foster the development of CCIs and assess their fit with the ecosystem view of CCIs;
• Analyse the discourses and practices pertaining to aspirations to become a European Capital of Culture as used by policymakers and relevant stakeholders in the case study locations.
• Identify creative intermediaries in the four project locations, develop a typology of creative intermediaries and explicate the various roles that such intermediaries might perform on different scales;
• Explore the network composition and modes of interdependency, as well as outcomes of network activity by creative intermediaries;
• Explore instances of co-creation facilitated by the creative intermediaries (e.g. in the process of developing European Capital of Culture applications);
• Explore the gaps in the networks and the kinds of cultural intermediaries involved in such networks to mutual benefit, how to make the networks more resilient.
• Obtain data on local citizens’ practices of participation in the local participatory civic life in the case study locations;
• Synthesize the data and co-create scenarios of further development of local participatory civic  life in the case study locations;
• Disseminate the research in its various formats to relevant stakeholders, academic and non-academic, domestic, and international;
• Foster capacity-building of project participants with regard to scholarly article writing, translation of research into teaching and other relevant issues.

WP1 Identifying local Cultural and Creative Sector policies and their outcomes

WP Leader: Ilona Kunda, Dr.sc.soc.

WP methodology and implementation: desk study of cultural policies in the case study cities, exploring the background of presented rationales and underlying assumptions on the role of creative industries and civic participation, as well as practical measures promoting increased opportunities for networking and interaction. A special emphasis will be laid on examining the first stage applications for the European Capital of Culture in 2027, and the reconstruction of the level of civic involvement in its development. The desk study will be supplemented with semi-structured interviews with local authority representatives and key stakeholders.

WP outcome:  Key similarities and differences identified; possible creative intermediary candidates identified.

WP2 Developing typology of creative intermediaries

WP Leader: Ieva Zemīte, Dr.oec.

WP methodology and implementation: media monitoring and content analysis of local media outlets in the previous two years to establish key individuals and institutions involved in major local cultural and creative initiatives across industries and networks; semi-structured qualitative interviews with prospective creative intermediaries in all four case study locations to identify their motivations, networks (scope, openness, diversity), and views on civic involvement traits in the given location. Analysis and first stage of synthesis: developing a typology of creative intermediaries and their roles and practices, as well as gaps in their networks and opportunities to make these more open and resilient.

WP outcome: Theoretical understanding of the range of types and roles of creative intermediaries enhanced.

WP3 Mapping creative city-relevant practices of local population

WP Leader: Ilona Kunda, Dr.sc.soc.

WP methodology and implementation: The work package includes two interrelated strands. First, as the case study cities will be developing their second-stage applications for the European Capital of Culture, the concurrent processes will present opportunities for semi-structured interviews and non-participant observation, examining possible instances of co-creation of ideas for the applications. Second, to acquire a broader background on civic practices of participation in the life of their respective cities, an Internet-based population survey will be conducted, focussing on opinions and importance of participation, as well as perception of obstacles and enhancing factors, including the practices of key individuals (creative intermediaries). The implementation of the survey will be outsourced to a reputable company with a national network of informants. In addition, the survey data will be viewed in conjunction with the population survey data from the previous project (CRISP) asking about the attraction factors of small cities in Latvia, especially as related to cultural amenities and meeting places.

WP outcome: Enhanced understanding of the civic culture of aspiring creative cities, theoretical development of the concept.

WP4 Synthesis and co-creation of conclusions

WP Leader: Ieva Zemīte, Dr.oec.

WP methodology and implementation: a series of researcher seminars to work on the ideas that have been identified in the research project; a series of co-creation labs involving the creative intermediaries identified the project and local decision makers, to further develop the applications of the project’s ideas on the role of creative intermediaries, networking, diversity, participation and civic activity. As the result, new initiatives and new visions for the development of local cultural, creative and civic life may be developed.

WP outcomes: project results validated, enhanced and fed into the discourses and practices of case study location stakeholder ecosystems.

WP5 Communication, dissemination and capacity-building

WP Leader: Ieva Zemīte, Dr.oec.

WP methodology and implementation: project researcher group discussions with stakeholders; a combination of activities targeting multiple publics through existing LAC social media feeds and webpage, and special events (conference, co-creation labs) and popular articles in the case study location media outlets. Study data incorporated in the course material on creative industries (BA and MA level) of the LAC. Scientific communication to domestic and international audiences via conference papers and research articles, which will be a crucial focus towards the end of the project. Capacity-building of the researcher group through regular theory-and-methodology seminars, as well as paper writing retreats (combined with field-work trips to case study locations).