Replanning the central area of Wakefield, West Yorkshire: culture and regeneration, 1990–2021

Towns and cities in the industrial and former coal mining areas of England haveoften struggled to cope with economic restructuring. This article offers a nearcontemporary history of the central area of one such city, where culture hasbecome a key device for promoting development and regeneration. Threeepisodes of policy are distinguished: from 1990 to about 2011, theemergence of a twin-track economic strategy that combined out-of-townbusiness parks with the remodelling of the central area partly on‘UrbanRenaissance’principles: from 2011 onwards, continued city centre declinewhen previous investments had little economic impact; and after about2020, a process of re-orientation; and as part of this, a reinvigorated attemptto rebrand the city, albeit within the continuing framework of the twin-trackstrategy. A reflexive methodology is used to construct the narrative. Thatmethodology enables a joint consideration of discourse and economicrealities, showing how place, branding, and planning come together inrepresentational logics that generate both supportive and counter narratives.