BARCELONA, A CREATIVE CITY?

A few ideas

“Creative City Region” conferenceDublin18th October 2007

A. URBAN PROFILE OF BARCELONA

HistoryGeographyBaseline situation

URBAN PROFILE OF BARCELONA (1)Policies are not formulated in vacuum More than 2,000 years of history: founded by Romans,

medieval “glory”, “modern age” decline, industrial and contemporary revival…

Geography Municipality: compact; 100 sq km; 1.5 M Metropolitan area; compact; 650 sq km; 3,2 M Metropolitan region; polycentric and urban sprawl;

1650 sq km; 4,5 M Absence of external migration (1980-1995)

Specificities of the “baseline” situation in 1975-1979 A metropolis without its own state Capital of Catalan culture All kind of deficits. No welfare state. Broad consensus.

URBAN PROFILE OF BARCELONA (2)Frozen energies burst, and are channelled

An ambitious long-term urban regeneration project is formulated. Strategic planning through public-private partnerships.

“Creative class” leadership avant la lettre Industrial decline. Promotion of a city of “advanced”

services. Culture is soon identified as a key resource. The European integration (1986), bringing political

stability. Inner-city decentralisation. Power to neighbourhoods.

Social cohesiveness and “sense of place”. The Olympic project (1992): the catalyst.

B. CULTURE and REGENERATION

Phase 1: 1979-1986Phase 2: 1987-1995Phase 3: 1996-2004

Phase 1: 1979-1986Culture is “obvious”

Local Government leads the process of urban regeneration Olympic nomination (1986)

Urban planning is connected to cultural references. New public spaces. Contemporary creation and memories of the place.

Traditional festivities are re-discovered (la Mercè) or re-invented “to celebrate the joy of living together”.

Loss of creative capital: audiovisual The bill of local cultural infrastructure: who pays? Coherence between programmes aiming to improve

external image and “citizenship” programmes

Phase 2: 1987-1995“We have to be ready”

Local Government leads the process of urban regeneration Central government funding arrives Olympic Games (1992)

World-class cultural infrastructure planned Contemporary creation, central part of the brief Solid public art programme Civil society supports culture Cultural management appears as a profession Local media, the engine of the cultural system

Phase 3: 1996-2004The “model” is reproduced, but...

National investments are not attracted. Local Government has difficulties to lead the project. Universal Forum of Cultures (2004)

The infrastructure planned in previous period opens the doors. Cultural infrastructure becomes more visible than ever

Creation of the Institute for culture, 1996 First strategic plan on culture, 1999

Density of festivals Cultural Thematic Years: Gaudi Year (2002), Book and

Reading (2005), Science (2007) Libraries Master Plan 22@bcn digital district

C. LOOKING FOR A NEW PHASE

Urban policies and cultural policies

Looking for a new phase: 2005-...Challenges

Growing diversity and new citizenry: “productive diversity” or “isolation”

Public spaces, are we asking too much? Commodification of culture Governance: a new balance in delivering services: local,

metropolitan, provincial, national, state Governance: how “institutionalised” should urban policies

be? What aliances and partnerships between civil society private actors and local governments?

Looking for a new phase: 2005-...Towards a new cultural policy

Agenda 21 for culture (www.agenda21culture.net) appears as a reference document for urban cultural policies

Culture, the fourth pillar of sustainable development

The first cultural strategy, evaluated in 2005. Result: “the context has changed”

The second cultural strategy, 2006

Looking for a new phase: 2005-...The second cultural strategy

Stakeholder and “social” participation: ownwership of the plan

One year of analysis, debates and open participation Governance: Constitution of “Local Council for culture and

the arts” 3 main axis

- Proximity- Excellence- Connectedness

Adopted by Barcelona City Council, at a Plenary session on 22 December 2006

Looking for a new phase: 2005-...Ten long-term programmes

BARCELONA LABORATORY

CULTURE, EDUCATION AND PROXIMITY

BARCELONA, READING CITY

PROGRAMME FOR INTERCULTURAL EXCHANGE

BARCELONA SCIENCE

QUALITY OF THE CULTURAL FACILITIES

KNOWLEDGE, MEMORY AND CITY

BARCELONA CULTURAL CAPITAL

CULTURAL CONNECTIVITY

BARCELONA COUNCIL OF CULTURE

BARCELONA, A CREATIVE CITY?

A few ideas

“Creative City Region” conferenceDublin18th October 2007