Affordability of Studio Space in London and Istanbul

Protecting Artists’ Urban Role: An Examination of the Affordability of Studio Space in London and Istanbul Cydney Smith 4/24/15

Created for Global Urban Lab Rice University: School of Social Sciences

Executive Summary This study examines the ability of artists to live and work in two global cities, London and Istanbul, using the affordability of studio space as a measure. Due to the stark difference between London and Istanbul, the report uses the successes of and challenges facing London’s more established art community and applies it to Istanbul, which lacks significant governmental policy surrounding artists.

This report finds that London is failing at providing enough low-cost studio space for artists in the city, representing a larger issue of affordable housing in the city. The report calls for a critical examination of planning laws surrounding the redevelopment of industrial areas, among other solutions. Istanbul currently lacks affordable studio space due to the absence of governmental funding and awareness of the issue. This report determines that the elite support of Istanbul’s art community has the biggest influence in developing affordable places for artists to work and live. Although artists in both cities are significantly struggling at obtaining low-cost workplaces, this report offers viable solutions to mitigate studio cost.

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Table of Contents Executive Summary....................................................................................................................................... 1 Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2 Report ........................................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Issue Statement..................................................................................................................................... 4 Research................................................................................................................................................ 4 London............................................................................................................................................ 4 Istanbul........................................................................................................................................... 8 Findings............................................................................................................................................... 10 London.......................................................................................................................................... 10 Istanbul ........................................................................................................................................ 11 Recommendations.............................................................................................................................. 11 London.......................................................................................................................................... 11 Istanbul......................................................................................................................................... 13 Conclusions.......................................................................................................................................... 15 Works Cited................................................................................................................................................. 16 Acknowledgments....................................................................................................................................... 18

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Report Introduction Artists have played a key role in continual geographical and social shaping of cities around the world. Due to the unstable nature of their work, many artists occupy spaces that others would not, such as condemned buildings, abandoned industrial sites, and short-term spaces (Phillips et al. 145). They place capital and build a sense of community in these spaces, ultimately increasing land value in urban places originally deemed unsafe and cast aside. These communities of artists and creatives then fall prey to interested developers keen to build on cheap land. Although artists play a significant role in rebuilding abandoned and run-down places in cities, they are often the first people to lose their homes and workspaces because of rising rent. In a globalized city, artists are increasingly pushed farther and farther from the geographical center, and in a way, from the center of the city’s cultural and social realms.

London prides itself on its commitment to both culture and arts. However, due to foreign investment and urban migration, the city has become unaffordable for most residents, including artists. As the Greater London Authority writes in a recent report, finding affordable workspace will become increasingly difficult for artists: “With London’s population due to reach nearly 10 million in the next decade, affordable workspace has become a key issue, putting particular pressure on creative small businesses, which includes artists” (Greater London Authority 5). Due to the continual growth in population, London artists are pressured financially to compete for space with newcomers. According to the Design and Artists Copyright Society, photographers made an average of £15,000 and typical fine artists earned £10,000 in 2010 in the UK (“Artist Salary Research”). The precarious financial nature of a career in visual arts, combined with the ephemerality of affordable studio space, endangers artists’ ability to work and live in a city internationally known for its art.

Istanbul, pronounced a European Capital of Culture in 2010, has recently grown into a larger player in the global contemporary art scene. With a current population of more than 13 million people, the city faces a large influx of people in the coming years (“IFCC WorldLab Istanbul 2014”). Since it has yet to establish itself as a prominent global city like London, Istanbul lacks comprehensive governmental policies aimed at protecting and encouraging culture. Artists in Istanbul do not have a public support system in place. As people continue to flock to the city, Istanbul will face a similar issue of keeping artists, and thus cultural innovation, in the city.

Issue Statement 3|Page

The following paper will focus on government and community efforts to aid artists in their livelihood. It will use affordability of studio space in London and Istanbul as an indicator of artists’ ability to live in the two cities. Due to the stark difference between London and Istanbul, this report does not compare the two cities on equal terms. Instead, it will use London’s challenges and successes as potential insights into how Istanbul may encourage artists to work in the city while it continues to rapidly grow. This paper will suggest policy changes for both Istanbul and London by examining the successes and challenges of an established urban art community in London.

Research The research conducted in this report includes literature review, structured interviews, and unstructured interviews. Greater London Authority’s 2014 reports, Artists’ Workspace Study and Creating Artists’ Workspace, serve as the foundation for initial research. The two studies document organizations that provide a significant amount of affordable studio space for London artists. Additionally, online news articles, journals, and websites were utilized.

The report makes references to both structured and unstructured interviews. One informal interview was with a London street artist, Ben Slow, during a street art tour in Shoreditch, a neighborhood in East London internationally known as a street art destination. In addition, Duncan Smith, Creative Director of the Association for Cultural Advancement through Visual Art, and Shona MacPherson, a practicing artist and artist correspondent for Art Map London, shared their opinions on the affordability of studio space in London during formal interviews. In Istanbul, formal interviews consisted of two people: Ilgim Veryeri Alaca, a professor in Koç University’s Department of Media and Visual Arts, and her graduate student, Bilge Merve. Görkem Dikel, an artist based in Istanbul, provided her insights through email correspondence as well.

Gathering information and data on the affordability of studio space in Istanbul was difficult. The largest challenge was the language barrier, as many of the sites and journals that focused on artists’ ability to live in Istanbul were written in Turkish. Furthermore, both the national and city governments have yet to collect data on artists. Unlike the London government, the City of Istanbul has not conducted research on studio space prices in the city.

LONDON Funding

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Public funding for the arts goes through Arts Council England, the national body for arts.

Arts Council England invests money from the government and National Lottery in both arts and culture. For instance, the council plans to use £210 of funding for its open-access funding program, Grants for the arts, over the next three years. (Arts Council England, “Grants for the arts, 2015-2018). Public monies dedicated to the arts were invested in 59 library projects, 227 museums, and 5370 art commissions (Arts Council England, Great Art and Culture for Everyone 11). The Arts Council England has used more than £1.4 billion of capital grant money to create and renovate 1000+ buildings (Arts Council England, Great Art and Culture for Everyone 5). In its 10-year framework, the Council promises to “invest in the arts sector’s buildings and infrastructure though capital investment” through 2020 (Arts Council England, Great Art and Culture for Everyone 53).

The UK government has used a portion of National Lottery earnings to fund arts since 1995. In the 2010-2011 fiscal year, Arts Council England received £151 million for arts funding.

In April 2012, the government increased the share of National Lottery funding for the arts from 16.67% to 20%. This increase results in total Arts Council England funding, from the National Lottery funding and direct government funding, to jump from £569 million in 2011-2012 to an estimated £605 million (Javid and Vaizey).

Studios/Workspaces According to Greater London Authority’s Artists’ Workspace Study’s Initial Audit, there are 298 separate studio space sites, serving more than 11,500 artists in London (Greater London Authority 5). Of which, 82% are explicitly intended to supply affordable studio space (Greater London Authority 15). Workspace providers normally achieve this low cost studio space through charitable or not-for-profit standing.

However, studio rents in London have significantly risen in recent years. Over the past decade, over half of studio space rent in London has increased by more than 68%: “In 2004 the average studio rent was £7.52 per sq. ft per annum, in 2010 this average was identified as £9.72... more than half (56%) now have average studio rent of more than £11 per sq. ft per annum” (Greater London Authority 15). The majority of artists, 36.8%, that responded to the study’s audit, pay between £11 and £19 per square foot each year. An astonishing 19.3% pay more than £19 (17). With fine artists making on average £10,000 per year, this increase in studio rent is detrimental to artists’ ability to live in London. Due to future development of buildings, 28% of artists’ studio providers are unsure of their ability to renew leasehold agreements in the next five years (Greater London Authority 7). This translates into around

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3500 artists expected to lose their workspaces during the same time period (Greater London Authority 5).

Organizations working for studio space There are many organizations in London currently dedicated to affordable studio space.

Artists’ Workspace Study lists 53 different workspace providers. The largest 20 providers account for 4330 studios, hosting more than 6000 artists (Greater London Authority 31). Acme Studios is the second largest studio provider in London (Greater London Authority 31). Founded in 1972, Acme Studios aims to provide “affordable studio space and residencies and awards for non-commercial fine artists. Through this provision it continues to make a vital contribution to the development of art and artists’ careers” (“Affordable Artists’ Studios in London”). Currently, Acme Studios runs 15 buildings in Greater London, which translates into 570 studios for 650 artists. According to Acme Studios’ website, the average cost of a 300ft2 studio is £10.85/ft2, equating to £271/month (“Affordable Artists’ Studios in London”).

One of Acme Studios’ buildings, the Galleria, is specifically built to house artists’ studio space. It forms a part of a mixed-use development, which includes 149 affordable residential flats. The site was primarily funded by an Arts Council capital grant, and Acme Studios covered the rest through a bank loan. The Galleria provides 50 studios for 61 artists, with a rent rate of £11.54/ft2 per year. One artist, Rebecca Stevenson, rents out a 209 ft2 studio for £297 per month. Stevenson believes that the Galleria’s purpose-built artists’ studio building provides a safe place for her to practice her craft: “When she comes to work late at night, she knows there are people around, unlike in more normal locations in industrial areas…There is a misconception that [artists] don’t need professional [workspaces]” (Dunne et al. 22). The Galleria not only provides space for artists, but supplies well-designed and safe studios for people to work.

Duncan Smith, the Artistic Director of the Association for Cultural Advancement through Visual Art (ACAVA), criticizes the lack of studio space for artists. Smith states that the number one problem facing London artists is “the increasing problem of affordability of workspace.” He started ACAVA in 1983 as a solution to his personal inability to find suitable studio space. Now, ACAVA has grown into one of the largest workspace providers in the UK, offering 20 buildings mostly in London for over 500 artists (“What we do”). ACAVA is an educational charity, meaning that they aim to promote “the development of visual skills in relation to school and university curricula and beyond, to provide work experience and promote career development” (“What we do”). In order to achieve its mission, ACAVA provides numerous services for artists, such as studios and facilities for professional artists, community educational projects, and consultation.

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Smith stresses that ACAVA can only offer studio space to artists who can help meet the organization’s charitable mission. The application process to rent a studio includes proving what kind of public benefit the artists have provided through their art. As an associate member of ACAVA, an artist can apply for available studio space listed on the organization’s website.

Depending on the desirability of the studio space, the process could take as short as a week or up to a year. Artists that have been associate members for the longest have priority for the spots. Currently, ACAVA is working to establish studio buildings not only in London, but in Kent, Stoke-On-Trent, Hamley, Harlow and other places in Essex as well (Smith).

Smith cites planning policies as large contributors to studio space difficulties in central London. The local government recently relaxed planning laws, easing the process of converting unused industrial buildings into residential developments. In a response to a growing housing crisis in the city, the Department for Communities and Local Government crafted a document addressing the issue, “Relaxation of planning rules for change of use from commercial to residential.” In the study, the Department explains that derelict or abandoned industrial buildings offer a unique solution to the housing crisis: “…there are industrial buildings which are no longer suitable for manufacturing which have struggled to find new uses but which offer good opportunities for conversion” (Department for Communities and Local Government 2).

However, these same buildings are suitable for conversion into studio space for artists as well.

The relaxation of development of industrial buildings to residential has led to competition between residential and studio space projects. According to Smith, authorities are beginning to realize the severity of the problem: “The problem in central London is getting so serious that some of the local authorities are beginning to respond to the fact that artists are disappearing from the middle of the city. But the responses are too little and possibly too late.”

Most artists have a hard time securing affordable studio spaces run by organizations like ACAVA and Acme Studios. Ben Slow, a street artist and painter based in East London, holds a pessimistic view on working in London. Many of his friends have left London in the last decade due to rising rents. Slow signed a contract three years ago to rent a studio for £370 per month.

His friend, 2 months ago, secured a rental agreement for £900 per month in the same neighborhood. As a result of his contract ending, Slow is moving to West London this month after securing a studio for £600 per month. He stated that he was only able to bargain down the rent to £600 per month because of his relationship with the building owner. When asked about applying for low-cost studios at places such as Acme Studios or ACAVA, he talked mentioned that the competitiveness and demand has greatly hindered many artists’ ability to secure these organizations’ studio space. For him and many other artists, it is impossible to find low-cost studio spaces in London. Slow indicated that he would have left London years ago, if it were not for his fiancé’s inability to relocate her job (Slow).

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Shona MacPherson, both a practicing artist and artist correspondent for Art Map London, works and lives in the East London neighborhood of Hackney Wick. Art Map London is an English company that aims to “demystify the art world” through sharing information about events, galleries, fairs, and businesses (Art Map London). The organization has an online directory, called Free Spaces, which lists venues where artists can show their creations for free.

MacPherson serves as an artist correspondent, for which she interviews practicing artists in the region to compile an up-to-date database surrounding artists’ experiences living and working in England. In comparison to Slow, she pays £130 per month for her studio space, which has “gone up from £116 when I moved in a year and a half ago” (“Interview with Shona MacPherson”).

MacPherson has interviewed many artists in London, Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool. She found that in London, in particular, studio rent differs dramatically according to a space’s location, facilities, and size. MacPherson believes that living in London can be very challenging for artists, especially those creating more community-based, rather than commercial, works of art (“Interview with Shona MacPherson”).

ISTANBUL Istanbul is home to a relatively new art scene and its art community has experienced rapid growth in the past years. There are several internationally renowned events based in the city, including the Istanbul Biennial, Contemporary Istanbul and Istanbul Art Fair (Davies). The Istanbul Biennial brings more than 100,000 visitors to the city to view both local and international art ("İstanbul Biennial Draws Record Number of Visitors"). In addition to events, Istanbul is home to a burgeoning number of artist-run initiatives, such as SAHA, SPOT, and SALT (Davies). Although these initiatives do not specifically provide low cost studio space to artists in Istanbul, they represent a growing interest in cultivating the city into an artistic hub.

According to the 2013 World Cities Report, commissioned by the Mayor of London, there are 774 students enrolled in “Art &Design degree courses at generalist universities” alone, 7 national museums and 267 art galleries (44). Compared to 15,745 students, 7 national museums and 857 galleries in London, these numbers seem low for a European Capital of Culture (Owens et al. 44-45). The lack of established art infrastructure is due to Turkey’s recent turbulent history. As Tan, author of “Self-Initiated Collectivity: Artist-Run Spaces + Artists' Collectives in Istanbul,” describes, the 1980s Turkish regime still influences modern life: “The legacy of Turkey’s 1980s military regime lives on in the state’s institutions, policies, procedures, and in its bureaucrats who remain both nationalistic and conservative” (21). Therefore, artists and curators oftentimes hesitate to ask for public funding, instead turning to private support and funding for studio space and commissions. This hesitation applies to international funding as well because artists believe that “internationally funded projects yield multicultural 8|Page

exoticism while they conform to socio-cultural populism and that, ultimately, they are instruments of cultural normalization whose sole purpose is to shape contemporary art policies” (Tan, “Self-Initiated Collectivity” 21). Although international funding remains an option, Tan asserts that Turkish artists would prefer to pursue different methods of funding.

Furthermore, according to Donadio, the secular and religious tensions of Turkish leadership have resulted in the self-censorship of artists and cultural institutions: “Artists say they are increasingly subject to state pressure or intervention, or withdrawal of funding by the government… conservative Muslim sensibility has shifted the national tone after decades in which a secular elite ran the country.” Donadio further assigns the “climate of anxiety and selfcensorship” to shifting government standards for offensive artwork. Due to the many transitions in government rule, artists are not comfortable producing art that may offend the Turkish government. An art graduate student at Koç University, Bilge Merve, believes that the government’s understanding of art is “totally different than ours because… they tend to support the traditional arts and … more religious works” (Merve). There is no government-run space for contemporary art.

Studios/Workspaces and Arts Funding Currently, private collectors and investors play a large role in the development of contemporary art in Istanbul because there is a significant lack of public funding. Furthermore, unlike in London, Istanbul lacks data and literature on the affordability of studio space for artists. However, Yaqoob writes in “Burgeoning art scene in Istanbul despite little state funding,” private funding has become a driving force for Istanbul’s art scene: “There are now more than 200 privately sponsored initiatives in the city and the number is growing” (2).

Garanti Bank, for instance, invested $30 million into SALT, one of the most prominent art organizations in Istanbul. SALT Galata, one of the two buildings SALT owns in the city, occupies the former luxurious headquarters of the Ottoman Bank (Yaqoob 1). In large part due to Garanti Bank’s investment, SALT provides a fully stocked art research center and exhibition and event spaces.

It is becoming increasingly common for banks to place large sums of money into the Istanbul art scene. Akbank, a premier sponsor of Contemporary Istanbul, has been “ploughing money into cultural institutions while setting up initiatives for new collectors to buy art in installments and on credit” (Yaqoob 2). Istanbul banks realize the possible profit in building an innovative and rich network of art organizations. More and more Istanbul residents are beginning to build collections of art, as they are indicators of individual wealth. As of September 2013, there were around 25 serious collectors, each spending more than $200 thousand 9|Page

annually on art in Turkey. In addition to 500 other residents buying art on a smaller scale, these wealthy Turks have greatly contributed to the nation’s, and Istanbul’s, art economy and community (Davies).

At the moment, Istanbul’s art scene, primarily driven by private investment, lacks structure regarding the distribution and use of public funding. November Paynter, a local curator, highlights the effect: “the system for channeling private philanthropy transparently, and with a clear channel of application and grant giving overseen by a board, has not been formalized in Turkey. This leads to a dilution of funds between many difference spaces, people, and potentials” (“To Participate or Follow?” 311). Although private donations and investments are crucial to the viability of Istanbul’s art community, the lack of guidelines has led to misguided and uninformed public investment into the art scene. More threatening, however, is that educational art departments have yet to significantly invest in studio space. At the moment, many universities, whether private or public, do not have the capacity to offer studio spaces to practicing students. Many young artists work and live in their parents’ houses (“To Participate or Follow?” 311).

Görkem Dikel, Content Manager at Mixer Arts, states that a studio costs at least 700 Turkish Liras, or £170, per month in Istanbul. For a young artist like Merve, this figure is oftentimes unrealistic. Mixer Arts, an art gallery in Istanbul, aims to support young emerging artists by providing “educational processes on art and art writing…, [involvement in] international platforms, [and representation] in art fairs both national and international” (“Interview with Görkem Dikel”). Although Mixer Arts and other art organizations around Istanbul do not specifically aim at providing affordable studio space, they represent a growing desire in the city to aid artists in their profession.

Findings London The average London artist makes £10,000 per year. With studios currently costing around £11 per square foot per annum, artists spend a large part of their income on their workspaces. For a 300ft2 studio, the cost per year would be on average around £3,300. With an income of £10,000, the average artist dedicates 33% on studio space alone. Studio space prices have increased more than 68% in the past decade. In the next ten years, artists will dedicate more and more of their meager income to their workspace. For this reason, London has already seen many artists leave the city in search for cheaper, more affordable studio space.

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The London art world is facing a key transition as artists are beginning to disappear from Central London. According to both Ben Slow and Duncan Smith, London will no longer function as a viable workplace for artists. In the next ten years, more and more artists will have fled from the city. Smith states, “The future of London as a major culture venue is in question. I think that unless a city has facilities where people can create culture that it ceases to be a place where people come to consume culture.” ACAVA is beginning to expand into other places in the country, such as Kent and Stoke-on-Trent, to address the unaffordability of studio space in London. To Smith, London’s dynamism will disappear as artists turn to other UK cities because “[London’s dynamism] is brought about by people coming from all over the country, or indeed all over the world, to share ideas and to create in an atmosphere of mutual interest.” London’s trend of embracing foreign investment and ignoring housing costs will lead to a city void of practicing artists, and therefore a city vacant of organic culture.

Istanbul Istanbul’s lack of governmental policies will allow for the opportunity for the city to grow with and accommodate artists. As a rising global city, it is just beginning to establish an approach towards the arts. Unlike London, Istanbul lacks significant public funding for arts and culture. However, the city’s contemporary art scene is uniquely driven by private investment.

Banks have embraced the business of a thriving art community. If approached in the correct manner, private investment may be able to turn Istanbul into an affordable place for artists in the next decade.

However, at this point, most researchers and artists agree that affordable studio space will not available in the next ten years in Istanbul. According to Professor Alaca, Istanbul in general is “very expensive and getting more and more expensive… Some institutions will support further artists. But on the other hand, this may not fulfill all the artists’ needs” (Veryeri Alaca). As Alaca alludes to, private institutions, such as banks, are beginning to address artists’ needs. However, without public funding and aggressive private investment into studio space and artist resources, practicing artists will have an increasingly difficult time living and working in the city. Currently, due to the lack of data relating to studio prices in Istanbul, it is impossible to say if studio space is affordable.

Recommendations London

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Although people within London’s art community, such as Slow and Smith, are pessimistic about its ability to retain artists, there are some solutions that the City could implement now in order to stall a complete migration of artists out of London.

In order to both protect existing artists and promote development of studio space in London, the City should consider the following options: • • •

Working with developers and art organizations to incentivize development projects and partnership opportunities.

Building a platform for the local community to rent out studio space to artists.

Offering subsidies for practicing artists.

Working with developers and artist organizations to incentivize development projects and partnership opportunities: To promote stability in artists’ lives, the City should pair developers with organizations that provide low-cost studio options to increase investment in long-term and permanent workspaces. As the Greater London Authority describes, by working with workspace providers, property owners can ensure that their investment pays off: “The high levels of demand, coupled with the significant experience of many workspace providers mean that the risk of void periods is very low. This ensures a reliable income stream for property owners even at the moment a new development is launched” (Dunne et al. 37). The City can facilitate partnerships between organizations and developers to create a win-win situation for all parties involved.

To further encourage workspace development projects, the City should address its recent relaxation of zoning laws pertaining to the redevelopment of industrial buildings into residential projects (Smith). These zoning laws could be altered to encourage mix-use projects that have both residential housing and designated studio spaces. By including subsidies for developers that include studio space in their projects, the City could greatly incentivize private development of more studio spaces. Acme Studios’ site, the Galleria, is a good example of such a development. The Galleria addresses both the housing crisis and artists’ need for studio space.

Building a platform for the local community to rent out studio space to artists: A more temporary, quick solution to artists’ problem could be modeled off of Art Map London. As MacPherson suggests, “If empty spaces could be more easily used by artists in the city” artists could find at least temporary studio spaces (“Interview with Shona MacPherson”).

The website would serve as a platform for art supporters to list their unused spaces as studio spaces. Artists could then utilize the spaces for a discounted rent. However, for a platform of this nature to work at a substantial level, community involvement and partnership 12 | P a g e

development must be key goals. Studios such as Acme Studios and ACAVA are only able to offer relatively low-cost studios because they have built close partnerships with parties involved in planning, development and art (Dunne et al. 7).

Offering subsidies for practicing artists: In order to directly help artists, the local and national government should provide subsidies on studio space. These should target artists that are not fortunate enough to rent studio space from low-cost providers, such as ACAVA and Acme Studios. Artists paying more than the London average of £11/ft2 per year, could receive the difference between their rent and the average cost from the City. If this subsidy is too lofty to obtain, the City should, at the minimum, provide tax breaks for non-commercial artists.

Istanbul Taking into account London’s crisis for studio space, Istanbul must take action to save its small, but rapidly growing, art community. The head of TOKi, Ergün Turan, describes Istanbul’s increasing redevelopment of buildings as a commitment to profit. The regeneration and redevelopment agenda, which includes “sites to accommodate the demands of the city’s newly expanding wealth,” turns city spaces into money-making assets (Aksoy). Due to the demands of Istanbul’s newly increasing wealth, industrialized areas are being converted into profit-making commercial and residential spaces. Moving forward, the art community must fight for the rights to develop on these industrial spaces. In order to facilitate such a campaign, the City should consider the following recommendations: • • •

Collecting data on studio spaces in Istanbul in order to create a ten-year plan.

Allocating dedicated funding to artists’ workspaces.

Backing organizations and supporters in their endeavors to educate citizens, promote participation, and protect studio space.

Collecting data on studio spaces in Istanbul in order to create a ten-year plan: The government should start collecting data as soon as possible in order to create a plan laying out policies toward the treatment of current and future studio space. This plan should address the challenges and opportunities for artists as well as policy gaps in Istanbul. The creation of a plan addressing the affordability of studio space will help the government identify key measures it, along with private investors and art organizations, can take to ensure that artists continue to have a place in the city.

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Allocating dedicated funding to artists’ workspaces: Istanbul should look towards London’s experience with public funding of the arts.

London does not have a specific fund laid out in its budget that contributes directly to the maintenance and creation of affordable studio space. For this reason, the issue has not received as much attention or funding necessary to solve it in London, especially with the development of the housing crisis. Istanbul, instead, should lay out plans for funding future workspace development projects in order to avoid the crisis that London now faces.

Backing organizations and supporters in their endeavors to educate citizens, promote participation, and protect studio space: At the very least, the City should place effort in encouraging and backing art-focused organizations, such as SALT and Mixer Arts, and supporters. Davies states that a strong art community has emerged as a direct result of the government’s inaction: “Wealthy private investors, banks, art funds, collectors, holdings, institutions, and galleries have provided the local art scene with the capital needed for it to blossom because there is little in the way of government funding.” Although the lack of government funding has created a “certain degree of freedom,” it points to a larger problem of the popular understanding of the arts.

Most residents do not understand the importance of contemporary art in establishing Istanbul as a global hub for culture. Thus, this study recommends that the local government work to assist art-centered organizations and educate city residents on the importance of artists in society and the economy.

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Conclusions As this report demonstrates, artists’ workspaces are becoming increasingly endangered in both London and Istanbul. As London continues to see a flight of artists away from the urban core, it will become evident to city officials that they must prioritize the affordability of studio space. However, when taking the city’s unfolding housing crisis into account, it becomes questionable whether or not any efforts attempting to solve the increasing cost of studio space will slow down the migration of artists out of London. Istanbul, at the other hand, has time to address the lack of urban studio space. Due to the strong support of local banks and elites, Istanbul continues to grow as a hub and incubator for local artists. In order to avoid the crisis that London now faces, the city government must establish preemptive measures to protect artists’ workspaces in Istanbul.

Affordable studio space is crucial in cities’ efforts to encourage cultural exchange and interaction. To ensure that London and Istanbul remain capitals of culture, their respective governments must reconsider the popular belief that artists can successfully work in temporary studio spaces. The reality is that the majority of the two cities’ populations would not voluntarily live in the endless cycle of unstable workspace so common to artists (Phillips et al.

147). Without artists’ occupation of industrial and run-down spaces, urban regeneration would likely take a very different and less organic form. For this reason, local governments must work to establish long-term studio options for artists, thus acknowledging and supporting the crucial role artists play in shaping global cities.

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Acknowledgments I would like to thank all the individuals who have graciously helped me in my research.

My interviewees, Professor Alaca, Bilge Merve, Ben Slow, Duncan Smith, and Shona MacPherson, greatly contributed to my findings by sharing their expertise and experiences. I would also like to acknowledge the Global Urban Lab faculty, especially Professor Fleisher, as their academic support was crucial to this research project.

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