Crafting our Creative Northstowe
In spring 2025, the Cambridge Room research team, in collaboration with Northstowe Arts and the University of Cambridge Public Engagement Team, used arts and crafts to map Northstowe's creative life and imagine its future.
The heart of a community cannot be dropped in by decree.
Northstowe is one of the UK's fastest growing new towns. Its houses are going up quickly, but spaces and support for the cultural and social life that make a place feel like home have struggled to keep pace. Traditional consultation often fails in towns like this, where the population changes faster than a survey can capture it.
Working with a local artist and writer, the partners co-designed two workshops and four drop-in sessions, plugged into existing community events such as a café morning, a youth drop-in and the Holi Mela, with a final "Closing the Loop" session at the Midsummer Festival. Residents made collages, shared stories and pinned the places that matter to them on a digital map. Together they identified a strong sense of belonging, a deep connection to nature around Unity Lake and Western Park, a gap in provision for 16 to 25 year olds, and a clear need for accessible, all-weather venues.
Crafting our Creative Northstowe sets out a community asset map and eight practical recommendations for growing Northstowe's cultural life with the people and groups already there.
About Northstowe Arts
Northstowe Arts is a community arts organisation that has organised festivals, public art projects, workshops and a community cinema in Northstowe since 2021, helping residents build connections and shape the identity of their new town.
Northstowe Arts: Mari O'Neil, Paula Bond, Chloe Leper and Matthew Wood. University of Cambridge Public Engagement Team: Beth Elliot. The Cambridge Room: Ruchit Purohit and Ummiye Seyda Mutlu. Funded by the University of Cambridge Community Knowledge Incubator Fund. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to cite: Purohit, R. et al. (2025) Crafting our Creative Northstowe: Mapping Northstowe's Creative Life and Imagining Its Future. Northstowe Arts, University of Cambridge Public Engagement Team and The Cambridge Room. Available at: https://www.cambridgeroom.org/research/crafting-our-creative-northstowe (Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0).