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Mapping the creative sprawl: the design sector in Western Sydney

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the findings of a longitudinal case study of the design sector in Western Sydney, a vast region of Sydney, Australia. Recurring discussions about Sydney’s creative scene tend to reinforce a stereotype, conceptualising creativity as a bohemian, inner city phenomenon with limited consideration given to creative industries situated in the apparently “uncool”, “outer” suburbs. However, through geolocational mapping of data collected over a 6-year period, this paper shows that there is a burgeoning design sector stretched across Western Sydney, coining the term “creative sprawl” to describe a distinct geography that challenges inner-city precincts as the loci of creativity. The aim of this paper is to augment Australian scholarship on creative industries and contribute to international discourse on creative geographies, arguing for the need to develop urban policy that responds to the creative potential of areas beyond urban centres.