Subplots to a City explores new approaches to art, culture and urban development. In Certain Places, led by curators Charles Quick and Elaine Speight, is a programme of interventions and events that has since its inception in 2003 examined how artists can contribute to the development of a city, in this case Preston in the North West of England. Over the years it has worked with regional, national and international artists - including Jeppe Hein, Becky Shaw, Blast Theory and John Newling - and developed temporary projects, hosted artists' residencies, and throughout organised public talks about art and place.As a case study Subplots to a City provides a useful resource for those interested in place-based art, while also contributing to the critical discourse surrounding such practices. Alongside images, project outlines and reflections from artists, audience members and collaborators, the book includes texts by Speight and Quick, and contributions by specialists from various fields, including Owen Hatherley, Lubaina Himid, Sophie Hope, Paul O'Neill, and Jonathan Vickery.