Development and location patterns of creative quarters in Riga

Margarita Feizaka

University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences

DOI: 10.22364/fg.20.2.8

Keywords: creative quarters, creative class, gentrification, inner-city, Riga

Abstract

While investigation of the phenomenon of creative quarters in Western cities has long been widespread, city quarter development, both the process itself and discourse on this subject, is rather new in the post-socialist space. The aim of this research is to provide a general insight into the development of creative quarters in Riga, focusing on their evolution in terms of geographical location and development patterns, such as timeline and trajectories. This study identified nine creative quarters in Riga. The findings indicate that six out of nine quarters are located in the inner city of Riga, and seven out of nine are located in industrial areas. Furthermore, this research revealed that most of them have been established during the last six years, with at least one new quarter each year. It also reveals that eventually the creative quarters experience capitalisation and expand beyond creative industries, beginning to offer other services.