Guest editorial: Evaluating cities of culture

Since the 1980s, culture-led regeneration has gradually become absorbed into mainstream city planning and urban policy, with a growing acceptance of the value of culture in transforming environments, economies and communities. Cultural mega-events (Jones, 2020), like the European Capital of Culture (ECoC), the UK City of Culture (UKCoC) and other national and international City of Culture (CoC) initiatives across the globe, have often been seen as effective catalysts and accelerators for urban regeneration strategies through the delivery of a focused and intensive programme of cultural activities, usually lasting a year.