Piensa Madrid Carta

CULTURE, COMMUNICATIONS AND COOPERATION: THE THREE CS OF THE CREATIVE CITY

Maurizio Carta Department of Urban and Regional Planning University of Palermo Via dei Cartari 19b. I-90138 Palermo. Italy Phone: +39-091-60790302. Fax: +39-091-60790113. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract The network of European creative cities is a powerful new configuration of dynamic, innovative and action-oriented cities, able to transform the space using their cultural armature. From a vision in which the more competitive cities are those able to attract the creative class must go to a vision in which the city becomes generates creativity, presents itself as a powerful incubator of economies based on creativity, culture, research and artistic production. The cities will have to invest in the experience economy, strengthening their identity. The creative city, therefore, is an active tension, that requires a forward-looking, and calls us to action. Does a form of town planning exist which might help cities become more creative? This is the task we have set ourselves. We can summarize factors of city competitiveness as the “Three Cs of the Creative City”. The most important factor in terms of urban creativity is Culture, the city’s identity, steeped in history yet also extending into the future. The talent of a city, its most distinctive and competitive resource, is its cultural identity, its diversity as a product of its history. The talent of a city must also generate value; it must be submerged in the virtuous circle of the culture economy, the geography of experience, the design of quality. The second factor of urban creativity is Communication, namely a city’s ability to inform, divulge information and involve in real time its citizens and multitude of users. The use of communication technology makes possible interventions aimed at cutting down congestion and deterioration: a city which makes effective use of innovation technology is, indeed, also one which cuts down on travelling, keeps a check on pollution and improves the way we work, delocalizing services and repositioning their centrality. And finally, the third factor, Cooperation¸ since in global, multicultural cities, tolerance does not simply imply the toleration of other cultures and ethnic groups which remain at the margins of mainstream city life. The challenge faced by creative cities lies instead in the explicit acceptance of diversity, through cooperation between all city residents, between city centres and suburbs and all its diverse component parts. The creative city is a city capable of mobilizing its diverse component parts in the pursuit of a plan for the future. A creative city, therefore, feeds upon the fertile interaction between Culture, Communication and Cooperation, essential resources for city councils, planners, architects and designers since they represent the very pinnacle of their work, an indispensable guide towards innovation and quality production, balancing free enterprise and initiative and contributing to the overall happiness of the communities they seek to serve.

1. Creative cities: an action-oriented manifesto The network of European creative cities is a powerful new configuration of dynamic, innovative and action-oriented cities, able to transform the space using their cultural armature. From a vision in which the more competitive cities are those able to attract the creative class must go to a vision in which the city becomes generates creativity, presents itself as a powerful incubator of economies based on creativity, culture, research and artistic production. The cities will have to invest in the experience economy, strengthening their identity. In the 21st Century, cities will be the backdrop for competition over forms of energy, human resources, collective know-how and creativity; the essential requirements for change more compatible with territorial identities and aptitudes and more sustainable in terms of resources and local sensibilities. The twenty-first century is without doubt set to be the “age of cities”, forming a benchmark against which a nation’s development shall be measured. In 2007, for the first time in the history of humankind, more than half the world’s population lives in cities, the distinction between an urban environment inserted into a predominantly rural world is now a thing of the past, ushering in an era in which the city – in whichever form it may take – is the most prevalent context for human habitation. There is a whole world of cities, pulsating centres throughout our territorial system, framework hubs of communities which increasingly identify with cities, urban living and lifestyles. The urban population of Europe is now in excess of 75%, whilst in developing countries this figure is soon set to reach 50%. The world will continue to develop both around the great megalopolis, home to tens of millions of inhabitants, as well as around metropolitan cities, widespread conurbations and micro cities frameworks: the urban framework of global cities will be interlinked, predominantly in Europe, with that of secondary cities; offering an alternative to the explosive nature of megalopolis. The European “Local Capitals” takes the form of clusters around cities of culture; where a city is understood not merely as a location offering deeply-rooted cultural resources, the remnants of history itself, but places capable of generating new forms of culture: culturebased competition cities are, indeed, those capable of competing on the international scenario through the optimization and promotion of their own cultural identity, whether this be well-established or in the stages of development. Within the context of European urban frameworks, a challenge to which governors, planners, managers, promoters and investors are called to respond, is the creation of cities which are desirable places to inhabit, especially in terms of recreating those community values which are believed to produce a sense of citizenship. On the other hand, cities shall also be expected to produce and optimize every city-specific opportunity, namely local-global interaction, trade as a relational factor, leisure as a composite part of urban life and wellbeing, the increasing demand for cultural production in this era of access, knowledge as a resource to be portioned out and access, taking the place of ownership, as a means of relating to others. In terms of development, mankind’s ambitions, desires and reasoning, with creativity seen as a powerful, generating force and knowledge as a mighty form of organizational energy, are replacing both spatial localization, natural resources and market access as the key resource in urban competition. The creativity of those inhabiting, using or moving through cities will shape the future success of metropolis, allowing some of them to become “capital cities” even if they are not centrally positioned or in possession of considerable primary resources, but cities capable nonetheless of intercepting the flows of energy, people and capital constantly criss-crossing the planet. Numerous cities are, in effect, incubating what might be considered a “creative class” true and proper, drawing in the localization of those forms of knowledge, competence and manpower which feed into the supply of certain types of urban quality, new services and new living styles - including nomadic ones - crucial for the development of new opportunities and creativity. Within this current context of frenetic, differentiated and multi-faceted evolution in our cities, we might yet discern two common denominators: the rise of the creative class and the role of urban creativity as the main source of new economic development. Nowadays, having

reached the highest pinnacle of the Quaternary sector (namely services and intellectual activities), we are now facing an explosion within the "Quinary" sector (that dealing with strategic approaches to government, sciences, education and an information-oriented economy), where our requirements undergo profound change, our needs re-shaped, decision-making processes revolutionized and the shape of human settlements radically transformed: new centres emerge across the globe, cities become polycentric, distributed across networks, they try out new relationships with their territory. Against this backdrop of constant change, an understanding of how cities are changing becomes vital, recognizing not only the role played by “agents of creativity” in the development of cities, but also that commitment to this “urban creativity” constitutes an essential factor in the evolution of communities and economic development. It is a matter of placing the viewpoints of town planners alongside those of sociologists and economists in an appraisal of the creative class and the creative industries: why should we restrict ourselves to thinking that only a limited number of professions help generate the creativity of a city, why not consider the city itself, the collective intelligence of its inhabitants and users, as bringing together those first essential sparks needed to ignite the resources, production and quality needed to fuel the development of cities, so that they might “guide the planet" through the urban century? 2. The Three Cs of the creative city The creative city challenge is now well underway and has found an impressive partner in UNESCO, with the constitution of the Creative Cities Network which links cities planning to trade with and invest in the creativity industry which, according to UNESCO, currently accounts for around 7% of gross domestic product around the world, generating international trade worth more than 59 billion dollars in 2002 and increasing at a rate of more than 7% per annum. “The Economy of Culture” report, presented by the European Commission in 2006, estimated that 5.8 million people work in the creative industries (3.1% of total employment figures in Europe); in particular, the communication sector and those of design and multimedia generated a turnover of 654 billion Euros in 2003. In Europe, the sector accounts for 2.6% of the GDP (European Commission, 2006). Whilst it is true that creativity is fast becoming an important factor in the economic development of nations, it might also be said that the creativity of cities might become an important factor in the generation of new urban economies and as a result, those cities which become increasingly creative will also be increasingly capable of generating not only quality and innovation but also a reputation associated with these processes. Many cities – both in the West and with amazing speed also the East – are generating new urban phenomena, new urbanizations which are the product of the new ways communities are living within such cities. Does a form of town planning exist which might help cities become more creative? This is the task we have set ourselves. We will start with the three economic development keys Florida considers capable of sustaining the installation of the creative class: Technology, Talent and Tolerance are powerful elements of competitiveness and indicators of urban attractiveness. But there is a fourth T: Territory is also an enormously important resource, supplying the soft economy – the economy of local excellence – and acting as a producer of value in “territorial capitalism”, where capital is essentially spatial, identity-based and relational. We cannot, therefore, merely calculate the presence and worth of the three Ts, but must combine them with the fourth: the Territory of these considerations is the City which, by interacting with the creative class acts as a “catalyst”, producing not only a form of energy which spans and animates society and breathes new life into the economy, but is also an authentic form of urban energy activating the power engine of the city, generating community change. We can summarize factors of city competitiveness as the three Cs. The most important factor in terms of urban creativity is Culture, the city’s identity, steeped in history yet also extending into the future. The talent of a city, its most distinctive and competitive resource, is its cultural identity, its diversity as a product of its history. The talent of a city must also generate value; it must be submerged in the virtuous circle of the culture economy, the geography of

experience, the design of quality. Culture, therefore, plays a part in the field of resources, enabling the city to become more creative. The second factor of urban creativity is Communication, namely a city’s ability to inform, divulge information and involve in real time its citizens and multitude of users. The use of communication technology makes possible interventions aimed at cutting down congestion and deterioration: a city which makes effective use of innovation technology is, indeed, also one which cuts down on travelling, keeps a check on pollution and improves the way we work, delocalizing services and repositioning their centrality. Communication provides the means for the processes of innovation and diffusion. And finally, the third factor, Cooperation¸ since in global, multicultural cities, tolerance does not simply imply the toleration of other cultures and ethnic groups which remain at the margins of mainstream city life. The challenge faced by creative cities lies instead in the explicit acceptance of diversity, through cooperation between all city residents, between city centres and suburbs and all its diverse component parts. Cooperation implies an ability to assemble a series of components, focusing action on common goals and outcomes. The creative city is not merely a more open sort of city, multicultural and multiethnic, it is also a city capable of mobilizing its diverse component parts in the pursuit of a plan for the future. Cooperation, therefore, redefines the urban community, assigning it new roles and clearer objectives. A creative city, therefore, feeds upon the fertile interaction between Culture, Communication and Cooperation, essential resources for city councils, planners, architects and designers since they represent the very pinnacle of their work, an indispensable guide towards innovation and quality production, balancing free enterprise and initiative and contributing to the overall happiness of the communities they seek to serve. 3. From creative milieu to creative project Having described the general scenario of creative cities and identified their main elements, we now turn to the challenges these pose to analysts, planners, promoters and city councils. The mission is unequivocal: namely the transformation of a city from one merely capable of attracting the creative class - simply a milieu – to one able to actually produce its own new identity, new economy and new geology on the basis of culture, art, knowledge, communication and cooperation. We need to move on from a purely monetary conception of the creative city (namely one in which creatives attract new economies) to a productive vision where creatives actually generate new urban economies. We need to move from a vision which aims to position a city within the market of creatives to a vision which aims to feed the city's own internal creativity, producing a creative class inside itself as opposed to seeking to attract one from the outside. This begs the question: is there such a thing as a recognizable, utilizable creative milieu, which might constitute the necessary raw material upon which a creative city could be built, or better still, put into motion? We believe there is. The creative milieu is a place, an area of a city or a city in its entirety in possession of the necessary pre-conditions, in terms of both hard and soft infra-structure, needed to generate the flow of creative ideas and innovation fundamental to the urban dynamism forged by the creative class. A milieu is a “local system”, a place within which a critical mass of local councillors, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, social analysts, artists, promoters or students might operate, possessing the requisites for global interaction and where spatial intercourse creates new ideas, products, services and institutions, contributing to the city’s regeneration and improved status. The creative milieu is therefore an urban environment in which “clusters” or “districts”, potentially capable of strengthening the overall cultural framework, might be encouraged to develop. The very existence of a creative environment is obviously one of the necessary prerequisites for a creative class to take root and trigger a culture-based renaissance. The main characteristics of such renewal can be set out under seven indices: The identity index, typically displaying profound cultural stratification of identity-related resources coupled with the willingness and ability of institutions and technicians to optimize such resources, in addition to a population which is aware of the importance of interaction

and its active role in the transformation process. It has been noted that these elements are most frequently encountered in historic centres or historic neighbourhoods, places where a sense of belonging is rooted in both space and time, along with an increased awareness of cultural values. The economic sustainability index, which calls for a pre-existing, solid economic base – either internal or to be set up in financial partnerships – to activate and maintain urban regeneration trial projects within a context of policies and regulations aimed at facilitating their completion. This is the situation, for example, in those areas subjected to negotiated town planning, special programmes such as the “projets de quartier” or those where policies of business improvement districts are in place. The potentiality index appraises an area experiencing an imbalance between the top-level potential envisaged or recognized by analysts, planners, artists and entrepreneurs and sets this against its current circumstances and decision-making trends. This imbalance acts as a sort of transformer, converting potential energy into the "kinetic" energy needed for regeneration. One only has to think of the extraordinary reserves of both quality and opportunity for transformation possessed by urban districts surrounded by superb natural settings. The dynamism index hands back the know-how, competence and tools needed to set creative process in motion and produce future transformation in the fields of culture, science and technology. Think of the enormous contribution made by cultural associations or microenterprises which forge the very nerve centre of the new socio-economic framework of town planning: one of the reasons that urban projects have been so successful in many European cities. Another great, dynamic resource is the presence of communities of artists, creatives and fresh new talents taking up residence in previously disused urban areas or run-down neighbourhoods. The interaction index allows us to test out opportunities for informal, spontaneous forms of communication as well as checking for the presence of suitable environments for diversity and variety, as is the case in well-organized historic centres, home to a range of diverse ethnic groups, or maybe in neighbourhoods where the locals still feel a strong sense of belonging to their micro-community, or neighbourhoods close to large ports, traditionally areas which excel in the ways of trade, transfer and the most lively sort of multicultural community. The multisector index highlights the importance of a multifaceted, non-homogenous environment, comprising a combination of living accommodation, manufacturing and commercial businesses, high quality cultural activities and folklore. A dynamic, synergetic environment capable of bridging the development of both science and art, production and accommodation, as occurs, for example where university campuses are part of the urban fabric, or maybe an area in which businesses are grouped together forming the early stages of an industrial estate where creative effort, production and trade all come together. And lastly, the perturbation index provides us with a tool to recognize the creative milieu, an indication of the latent energy required to produce a disturbance within that context and the resultant imbalance between the current situation and a vision for the future, through positive tension experienced by the population in residence, moving it to be proactive and overcome the marginal role the area has been assigned. The seven indices of the creative city illustrate that we are facing highly dynamic situations: they are not indicators of state but rather of change and interaction. The creative city is typified by energy on the move; it is a mix of factors requiring the "catalysis" of planning, design and strategy. 4. Getting creative cities up and running Commitment to the cause of creative cities demands more than just the identification of innovative and creative milieu, it calls for research into suitable local environs and contexts which might provide useful examples of good practice to form the basis of a methodology, or to be transformed into component parts which might forge new tools for town planning and design aimed at urban regeneration and redevelopment. Setting up creative cities demands:

a commitment to planning which conceives all change within a framework of holistic principles, capable of understanding and interpreting the urban context as a whole, in addition to a professional approach skilled in selecting the most effective tools to achieve concrete results; that culture-based competition cities succeed in establishing a balance between the preservation of cultural or social heritage and the promotion of innovation; that genre or generational policies are put in place which might reduce social conflict and generate a much-needed sense of cooperation, increasing the frequency of “plans for urban time regulation” and the practice of “community planning”; that planning proposals feed into urban, cultural, social and ethnic diversities and are effective in creating a rich mix of languages, customs, lifestyles and planning solutions; that multi-level decision-making processes are promoted and facilitated, processes which are well-reasoned but also instinctive and capable of organizing material resources, mobilizing human and relational resources and integrating competitiveness and social cohesion; that no changes should bring about the destruction of local communities scattered throughout the city, but rather incorporate them into upgrading procedures in a truly cooperative and strategic manner, always bearing in mind that cooperation and tolerance are two competitive elements of creative cities. Appraisals of creative cities all point to the importance of promoting, planning and setting up areas where competitive edge is closely tied to unique local characteristics and the values of a “symbol-city”, connected to a specific, tacit richness of knowledge and the purposeful guidance of urban systems within the city. Areas such as these can become authentic “creative clusters”, the outcome of more innovative economic and structural initiatives than pre-existing activities within the city at large, carried out together with “innovator plans” within an adequate framework of local development strategic planning and founded on the growing principles of the new soft economy, in other words the economy of territorial quality and excellence. Within these creative clusters it is possible to detect a precise, innovative vision nurtured by art, culture, tourism and leisure time, indeed by all the various manifestations of the “experience economy”. A creative vision of this sort must be capable of regulating and managing urban development processes in such a way as to influence and steer trends and guide aims and objectives. The most long-standing experience gained in creative cities reveals two main family groups into which creative clusters might be divided. Cultural clusters, which are commonly generated around, for example, the figurative arts and music, cinema and television, architecture and design, and whose very creation and development have been facilitated, encouraged and planned by local councils. Public support during the cluster’s start-up phase is essential to lend credibility to the whole project and raise awareness on an international level. Territorial policies also play a fundamental role, on the one hand aiming to create the right socio-economic conditions needed to develop the sort of urban environment capable of attracting interested players from the cultural domain, and on the other promoting the organization of events and exhibitions which are already up and running or creating the necessary infrastructures in terms of transport links and services. Just consider the proliferation of centres devoted to the production and exhibition of figurative arts which are springing up in numerous cities. The second group is known as event clusters, whose development is dependent on the organization of recreational-cultural events or festivals, varying from sporting events to religious feasts, from art exhibitions to trade fairs. Agglomerations of this sort, based on leisure-related activities, invariably centre on intangible resources and competences, and as such are characterized by the reputation enjoyed by a particular city in relation to such events, and for this reason they attract businesses, sponsors, users and tourists and at the same time, the cumulative effect of all this contributes to the city’s rating. The resolve to set up clusters of urban creativity must be accompanied by strong governance, giving its full support to the network of players whose cooperation is essential if targets are to be achieved, ensuring that resources are fully exploited and outcomes are

well-established within the territorial system. A highly efficient framework of programmes, planning and management must aim to avoid the pitfalls of the pulsar effect which often accompanies events or cultural activities. So the cluster must do more than just bind together a series of activities, it must also transform immaterial energies, connected to culture, art and leisure, into financial, productive and social resources for the city which can then gather them together for use by the territory as a whole, in so doing transforming them into structural resources. Policies which are supportive of creative cities - or the formation of creative clusters – must succeed in pursuing two main objectives at one and the same time. The first of these involves developing urban system competitiveness within both the regional and international context, through strengthening “competitiveness” within the various markets in which the cultural enterprises of the cluster engage (museum, theatre, music, multimedia, sport and so on) and increasing the “attractiveness” of the urban areas hosting cluster players (most importantly if these are players of international standing). The attractiveness of any urban area as a suitable location for a cluster is dependent on three factors: a) the resources (tangible and intangible) which the territory has to offer; b) factors determining quality of life within that urban area and which act as pull-factors in attracting the “creative class”, a powerful resource for any cluster, and at the same time a clear indicator of effective policies; c) the way that the city is perceived, both from within and outside the city, in terms of coherence between the output of the cluster and the “vocation” of the city itself, the so-called “city brand”, namely the perceived image of the city’s vitality, quality and potential. Indeed, this factor is increasingly relevant in connection with localization policies, particularly with regard to the culture, events and leisure sector. The second objective concerns the need to stimulate the positive effects of a cluster, since public interest and investments are only justifiable if the cluster has a positive effect on further development within the area. This could be added value and the cluster’s ability to multiply other production activities within the city, or in terms of the various synergies it produces. Creative economies are capable of generating considerable incomes for urban economies, which can then be used to fund the cost of public services and infrastructure in a virtuous circle of creative economy and urban welfare. Creative clusters also influence the image of the area, reinforcing the perception of its identity from the outside and stimulating factors which might influence its “vocation”: if creative industries succeed in gaining a foothold on an international level, the cluster itself then tends to become a brand of the city. Interaction between parties involved in the creative district can be given a further boost through the realization of large-scale urban transformation projects: integrated plans for urban regeneration which explicitly identify the main players within a cluster who need to get involved, concrete initiatives to be implemented and the pilot schemes needed to substantiate outcome timing. In moving from a city attracting the creative class to a creative city generating new forms, relations and economies, the presence of international districts pose the possible risk of uprooting part of the city, alienating it from its local context and projecting it directly into the network-world. It is therefore a good idea to set out lines of action beforehand, aimed at ensuring that those development factors generated by the presence of a cluster are not only in keeping with the area’s identity and a model of sustainable city growth, but also feed into it, leading the city as a whole into the global network of creative cities. As a conclusion to this brief scientific and cultural analysis around creative cities, describing their distinguishing features but also providing some pointers for their activation, we have reached a fixed point: the creative project needs a strategic approach. The strategic planning behind creative cities must be put to the test of urban design and show itself capable of vision, an aptitude to fit in with the lay-out of the city as well as its forms, relations and an increase in quality. Creative city, economy and territory, strategic planning, long networks, polycentrism, effective governance: these are the new key terms guiding the development processes of cities but at the same time also resources and procedures of city design. Setting up and designing a creative city demands an enormous amount of planning energy and concrete skills in order to

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