Cities in transition: exploring the role of urban cultural policies

MESOC team published the Special Issue City, Territory and Architecture in SpringerOpen, on the thematic "Cities in transition: exploring the role of urban cultural policies".

This Special Issue, edited by Irene Bianchi and Ilaria Tosoni from Politecnico di Milano, together with Pau Rausell Köster from the University of Valencia, opens a debate on the role of cultural policies and initiatives in urban transformations and their potential contribution to urban transition processes. Activities developed in different cultural domains (e.g. including architecture, heritage, performative arts, visual arts) by different urban stakeholders have been broadly recognised as potential drivers of change at the city and neighbourhood levels. Nevertheless, their contribution to the long-term restructuring of spatial, social and organisational settings and their effects on citizens’ routines and behaviours needs to be further explored. Also, it is crucial to critically reflect on the paths through which cultural policies trigger (purposive or unintended) effects at multiple levels, and on their social and political implications. 

This thematic series hosts research reflecting on the role and meaning of culture-led transformative dynamics in cities and on the mechanisms through which they emerge. In addition, they will investigate how cultural activities contribute to (re-)shape cities in their socio-spatial and institutional configurations and affect citizens’ quality of life.

Seven articles have been published already:

• Indicators for local policies of cultural welfare: content, dimensions, and quality criteria | Annalisa Cicerchia

• Changing mega-events’ spatial strategies and cultural policy: scaling down, spacing out, and assembling organizations in the cases of London and Milan | Zachary M. Jones, Stefano Di Vita and Davide Ponzini
   
• Cultural experiences in the framework of “cultural cities”: measuring the socioeconomic impact of culture in urban performance | Pau Rausell-Köster, Sendy Ghirardi, Jordi Sanjuán, Francesco Molinari and Borja Abril
   
• Designing radical transitions: a plea for a new governance culture to empower deep transformative change | Derk A. Loorbach

• The creative city approach: origins, construction and prospects in a scenario of transition | Chema Segovia and Julie Hervé

• Stretching the boundaries of cultural policies for inclusive and sustainable urban contexts: the case of Issy-les-Moulineaux in France | Anna Moro and Eric Legale

• Signals of sustainability transition: Sensing enabling factors through cultural initiatives | Grazia Concilio, Irene Bianchi and Ilaria Tosoni