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 culturalarmature. From a vision in which the more competitive cities are those able to attract thecreative class must go to a vision in which the city becomes generates creativity, presentsitself as a powerful incubator of economies based on creativity, culture, research and artisticproduction. The cities will have to invest in the experience economy, strengthening their identity.In the 21
st
Century, cities will be the backdrop for competition over forms of energy, humanresources, collective know-how and creativity; the essential requirements for change morecompatible with territorial identities and aptitudes and more sustainable in terms of resourcesand 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 isnow 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, pulsatingcentres throughout our territorial system, framework hubs of communities which increasinglyidentify with cities, urban living and lifestyles. The urban population of Europe is now inexcess of 75%, whilst in developing countries this figure is soon set to reach 50%. The worldwill 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 citiesframeworks: 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 acity is understood not merely as a location offering deeply-rooted cultural resources, theremnants of history itself, but places capable of generating new forms of culture:
culture-based competition cities
are, indeed, those capable of competing on the internationalscenario through the optimization and promotion of their own cultural identity, whether this bewell-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 aredesirable places to inhabit, especially in terms of recreating those community values whichare believed to produce a sense of citizenship. On the other hand, cities shall also beexpected to produce and optimize every city-specific opportunity, namely local-globalinteraction, trade as a relational factor, leisure as a composite part of urban life and well-being, the increasing demand for cultural production in this era of access, knowledge as aresource 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 asa powerful, generating force and knowledge as a mighty form of organizational energy, arereplacing both spatial localization, natural resources and market access as the key resourcein urban competition. The creativity of those inhabiting, using or moving through cities willshape 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 capitalconstantly criss-crossing the planet.Numerous cities are, in effect, incubating what might be considered a “creative class” trueand proper, drawing in the localization of those forms of knowledge, competence andmanpower which feed into the supply of certain types of urban quality, new services and newliving styles - including nomadic ones - crucial for the development of new opportunities andcreativity.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
Add a Comment
lakewaterleft a comment