speakers

Franco Bianchini

In October 2007 Franco Bianchini began working in his post as Professor of Cultural Policy and Planning, in the Faculty of Arts and Society at Leeds Metropolitan University. He was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Urban Studies, University of Liverpool (1988-1992). From 1992-2007 he was a Reader in Cultural Planning and Policy and Course Leader for the MA in European Cultural Planning at De Montfort University in Leicester. He has acted as advisor and researcher for organizations including Arts Council England, the UK government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Council of Europe and the European Commission. He has been invited to give lectures, mainly on urban cultural policy issues, in many European countries and also in Japan, China, Colombia and Australia. From 2003-2008 he collaborated with the Liverpool Culture Company in developing ?Cities on the Edge?, a cultural co-operation partnership involving Liverpool and five other European port cities (Bremen, Gdansk, Istanbul, Marseilles and Naples), which formed a part of the Liverpool 2008 European Capital of Culture programme. His current research interests include: ?The role of culture in urban regeneration? (with a particular focus on port cities); ?Cultural diversity and inter culturalism as resources for innovation in urban policy?, and ?The cultural impacts of globalization in contemporary European cities? (with special regard to the problems of standardization and loss of local distinctiveness).

Gaps between rhetoric and reality in the discourse about creative cities. 

Urban cultural strategies and the conclusions of in?uential research on "creative cities' and "creative local economies' arguably do not give sufficient consideration to a range of trends which have the potential of undermining the conditions for cities' creativity and distinctiveness. These include the following: urban sprawl and the rise of the "hypertrophic' city; the emergence of standardized "non-places' and the blandness of much new architecture in both inner and outer urban areas; the trend towards "theming' retail and entertainment districts in city centers; the reduction in leisure time for people in full time work; the consequences of "information overload" and of the "audit explosion"; the pervasiveness of health and safety and insurance frameworks and mentalities. There is a need for a re-definition of urban strategies to counteract an emerging crisis in cities' creativity and distinctiveness. In his contribution to this panel, Robert Palmer highlights the potential for creativity and innovation of the increasingly multi-ethnic and multi-cultural composition of European cities, and of intercultural practices. In the context of the economic downturn, there is, however, a danger of closure and retrenchment, which could lead to a reduction of investment in intercultural innovation, young talent and urban R&D. As Maurizio Carta suggests, it will be important for city authorities adopting "cultural planning' and creative urban strategies to cooperate, and to advocate the benefits of the creative city approach.

Link:

www.lmu.ac.uk/