Abstract
M.A.
This study aims to provide insight into the positioning and utilisation of a creative sense of place in inner-city regeneration. Through an understanding of current literature and the application of the multiple case study methodology, the research presents the importance of interior design in commercial spaces of a creative cluster to promote a creative sense of place. The inclusion and application of this concept in creative clusters are intended to establish and promote interior design as a regeneration strategy that creates and maintains unique and meaningful places in creative clusters, which contributes to inner-city regeneration. The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of the contribution that interior design makes to the ‘making of place’ in creative clusters in inner cities using qualitative research. The research was conducted with an interpretive paradigm, where a range of data-collection approaches and methods of analysis were used, comprising various processes of observation. In this study, the multiple case study method supports exploration of how a defined sense of place was created and utilised in four interior commercial spaces, namely the 12 Decades Johannesburg Art Hotel, the Blackanese Wine and Sushi Bar, Unknown Union, and Cornerstone Café, in the Maboneng Precinct. The reviewed literature highlights the strategy of implementing creative clusters in inner cities as a successful regeneration tool. The defined sense of place in these regeneration nodes is analysed to gain an understanding of how it is created and maintained to promote successful inner-city regeneration. The concept of interior design is emphasised as a creative industry that plays a significant role in placemaking, which contributes to the rehabilitation of the inner-city space and community through entrepreneurial, creative, and cultural production. The findings of this study reveal that although interior design is used as a successful regeneration strategy in commercial spaces, the discipline has not been identified or acknowledged for its contribution to promoting inner-city regeneration through creative placemaking. Identified approaches in the design processes and application of concepts in the case studies can contribute to the discourse on successful regeneration strategies. The role of the interior designer is established and the significance of this creative discipline in promoting a creative sense of place is emphasised. Although interior design takes place in commercial spaces, the poor identification and lack of insight into how it creates a defined sense of place impede the successful use of this design strategy in other commercial spaces in creative regeneration nodes. The research clearly indicates that the use of interior design is significant and critical in creating and maintaining a defined sense of place and can contribute to the discourse on how to successfully regenerate inner cities in the current socio-political...