In 2017 British Council commissioned a series of reports to map Southeast Asia's creative hubs. Beyond simply identifying and indexing creative hubs, the research was intended to explore the challenges they face, the impact they make and the ways they operate.
In the Philippines and Malaysia, the focus was on creative hubs that are primarily artist-led community spaces. In Thailand and Indonesia, the focus was co-working spaces, which have mostly emerged from the tech and startup sector. Ultimately, the compiled research shows that the four countries are diverse within and among one another. If the initial mapping project is a starting point, then this summary report is at best a spotlight: highlighting various creative hubs across the region, and illuminating a few commonalities and opportunities.