Will you be in a creative place?Date: 3 August 2010Region: Yorkshire 
The Steeling Skies project involved arts collective rednile working dynamically with the community in creative sessions and events that explored the Shiregreen Estate in Sheffield. Jacqui Bellamy
Creative Places 2010, which takes place on 15 September at Sheffield Community Enterprise Development Unit, will look at the role culture can play in making local communities better places to live and work in the current economic climate.

It's a debate that is particularly topical with the Government's launch this month of The Big Society initiative looking at issues around local communities taking the lead in improving their own neighbourhoods.

Creative Places, which is supported by Arts Council England, will bring together nationally acclaimed experts in culture, regeneration, placemaking, meanwhile opportunities, and wellbeing to present keynote speeches and lead workshops.

Delegates are expected to include local authority planning, housing, regeneration, economic development and arts officers, staff from registered social landlords, housing associations and Housing Market Renewal pathfinders, developers, consultants, artists and creatives.

There will be five free places, available on application, for artists with a particular interest in regeneration and renewal.

The conference, which is being organised by Sheffield-based social enterprises Eventus and New Start, will draw upon the expertise, knowledge and resources of a unique and highly successful ongoing three-year programme based in Sheffield.

Creative Places, a partnership between Arts Council England, Eventus and Sheffield City Council, works to integrate the arts into large-scale house and community building programmes in Sheffield.

Keynote speakers at the Creative Places 2010 Conference include Richard Russell, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Arts Council England; David Barrie, Urban renewal and real estate creative and TV Producer for Channel 4 of the Castleford Project; Emily Berwyn, Director, Meanwhile Project; Paul Squires, New Economics Foundation; Miranda Plowden, Director, ADF North Sheffield Council; and Andrew Skelton, Public Art officer, Sheffield City Council.

Karen Durham, Relationship Manager, Regional Planning, Arts Council England, said: 'The Arts Council believes that the arts have a major part to play in creating places with a strong sense of identity where people want to live, work and play.  Not only do they bring uniqueness and quality to the fabric of the built environment, they also contribute to a rich experience and can bring this right into the heart of communities.'Creative Places, through a range of projects and programmes, is actively demonstrating the central contribution the arts can make to developing stronger and more engaged communities.'

For more information about the Creative Places 2010 conference visit Creative Places or call 0114 281 6130