Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2014 | Page 14
Photo: Ari Karttunen / EMMA
Culture Club
Culture drives cities, cities push culture
Photo: Ari Karttunen / EMMA
In metropolises around the world, there is a thirst for all things cultural.
Culture is no longer a fringe player in the big boys’ game: it is a full-fledged
economic sector which impacts urban environment on various levels, ranging
from direct and indirect expenditure to employment generation.
C
ultural flagships such as Rotterdam’s
waterfront redevelopment or Vienna’s
Museum Quarter are often visited by
politicians from near and far and the quest
is on for pretty much every major city to secure a cultural attraction worthy of praise.
But what is it that makes these cultural havens tick? And is it possible to “manufacture” culture-based success stories as you
would manufacture cars or mobile phones?
According to researchers Jan van der Borg
and Antonio Paolo Russo, it is good to keep
in mind that cultural industries are typically
labour-intensive; their organisation model is
rather the network interaction of micro and
small producers than the supply chain hierarchy of Fordist industries.
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The Urban Connection
Moreover, cultural production is highly contextual and idiosyncratic. For these reasons,
city centres are privileged spaces for cultural production, providing ideal workspace
for artists and cultural managers. Eventually,
the local economy comes to thrive off it, establishing a symbiotic relation with culture.
Erasmus University Rotterdam researchers Van der Borg and Russo note that
culture generates substantial “intangible”
economic effects. It has a “soft function”
of animation and enhancement of the quality of life, which is an increasingly important element of a city’s competitiveness. It
stimulates human creativity, and the capacity to innovate.
New symbolic meanings and values
become inputs to innovative production concepts and processes. A city can market itself
as an ideal location for people and firms,
and a preferred cultural destination for tourists. And whether you’re talking about New
York’s loft living or Berlin’s underground
art scene it is clear that a truly unique, original cultural mix can become a recognisable
brand –and brands mean money.
Culture Boosts Business
Furthermore, culture may contribute to a
more balanced and sustainable urban development. Culture has been deployed successfully in urban revitalisation projects in
degraded urban areas throughout the developed world. It also serves as an equalizer, providing a formidable opportunity for
personal development and social interaction
among weaker groups.
Van der Borg and Russo argue that in
the multi-cultural city, culture can be a lever
that stimulates pride, personal development,
and self-fulfillment for minorities, and at the