Prof Katy Shaw, Director of the AHRC Creative Communities programme joined the DCMS Culture and Heritage Capital conference 2026 to discuss social cohesion and practical application of research in place-based culture policymaking.
Sharing evidence from the AHRC Creative Communities programme, Katy chaired the opening workshop on social cohesion. The panel considered how DCMS and researchers can make the case for the role of culture in increasing social cohesion and how data can play a vital role in measuring the value and impact of place-based innovation.
Katy spoke alongside Prof Rebecca Madgin, Director of the AHRC Place-based research programme, Amellia Behrens, Head of Place – Strategy Unit at DCMS, and Anna Francis, Co-Director of the Portland Inn Project.
The DCMS Culture and Heritage Capital programme conference was a three-day gathering considering the role of analysis in understanding place and sharing tools and methods used to measure and value the impact of the creative industries, culture and heritage sectors to better understand value for money and place-based impacts.
The conference was delivered by DCMS in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Research Council and Arms-Length Bodies including Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, Historic England, the Office for National Statistics and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
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