The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies

Culture as a Toolfor Urban Regeneration

Aviel Yelinek

With the support of the Schusterman Foundation

June 2009

What can culture do for a city?

• Key role in Urban Regeneration strategies• Prevent urban decline• Hasten physical development of derelict urban spaces• Promote city's image • Boost local and international tourism• Boost commercial and economic activity • Improve quality of life for city residents• Create vibrant and vital urban areas • Create a “sense of place”• Attract young and creative people

Barcelona

• Barcelona is one of the world’s ten most popular tourist destinations, and almost all of its attractions are culture related

• The city’s strategic plan designated

culture a key role as an engine of urban development

• The turning point was the Olympic

games in 1992 which brought an immense investment in infrastructure and cultural facilities

Barcelona• Following was the renovation of the old Gothic Quarter (now

known for it’s vibrant cultural scene), the establishment of several museums and the organization of several international art and cultural festivals as “Forum Barcelona 2004”

• Barcelona's cultural budget has almost tripled in the last 15 years to a sum of €100M

No. of tourists (Millions)

1.7

3.4

5

7

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7

1990 2001 2005 2007

Berlin• Berlin possesses a unique

cultural wealth which includes among others 3 operas, 9 orchestras, 140 theatres and 350 art galleries

• Berlin is also home to a broad range of well known international festivals among them are: Berlin’s film festival, Berlin’s jazz festival and Berlin’s theatre festival

• The growth of alternative culture in the eastern part of the city led to the regeneration of old derelict urban spaces

Berlin

• Berlin’s cultural budget is enormous and amounts to €700M, half comes from the city and half from the government

• The city’s investment in culture has made it a main destination for cultural tourism and has significantly elevated the number of international tourists visiting the city to a record high of over 7.6m in 2007

0

5

10

15

20

1995 2000 2005 2007

overnight stays in mill.

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1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

1995 2000 2005 2007

arrivals in mill.

Liverpool

• Europe’s “Capital of Culture 2008”. More than 350 cultural events planned

• Budget: £110M (2005-2008). Half of the budget from the municipality, the rest from the UK government, the EU and private sponsors

• 2008 saw a drastic increase of visitors in the city cultural centers of 50-70%

Liverpool

• Liverpool Culture Company's creative director Phil Redmond: "So far it's boosted the local economy to the tune of £800M, In total £4bn invested in the physical transformation of the city. We're creating commerce with culture here” (January 2009)

Edinburgh• Edinburgh managed to market

itself as a “city of festivals” housing every year the Edinburgh festival branded as “The biggest art festival in the world”

• During the month-long Edinburgh Festival there are five different festivals taking place simultaneously in the areas of cinema, stage art, fringe, music, theatre, jazz and dance

• Other, smaller festivals are carried out during the year to maintain a festival atmosphere all year round

Edinburgh• The total cost of the 2008 Festival

was £9M. 48% from ticket sales and sponsorship and 52% from public sector funding.

• The festivals contribute greatly to the city's Economy, cultural life and international profile. Patricia Ferguson, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport: “The festival delivered a collective economic boost of £135M and supported 2,900 full time jobs”

• The number of tourists has elevated in recent years and in 2007 amounted to 1.1M. Edinburgh is now the No.2 tourist destination in the UK (London is No.1)

Bilbao• The main element in the cultural

strategy employed in Bilbao was

the building of the Guggenheim

Museum designed by the

architect Frank Gehry

• Since it was first opened in 1997

the museum has changed the

city’s image and brought an

important economic boost

Bilbao

• The economic impact was such that it paid back the initial investment many times. It has also sparked new hotels, a concert hall and convention centre, a new transport system, more new museums and a river esplanade with new cafes

• The boost of tourism is impressive. In 1994 there were practically no tourists (only 25,000) but since the opening of the museum the situation changed dramatically to reach 620,000 tourists in 2007

Jerusalem

• Home to Israel's highest concentration of art schools

• Unique spiritual atmosphere and diverse architectural style creates a rich and special environment for creativity

• However, in recent years, Jerusalem's cultural sector has suffered from neglect, damaging the city's quality of life and image

Jerusalem

• Low municipal budget for cultural institutions: recently doubled to $5M in 2009

• Meaningfull financing from philantrophic sector does not fill the gap

• Cultural Institutions struggling to survive under constant financial uncertainty

• Students of art study in the numerous Jerusalem institutions but most of them employ their art elsewhere

• Low number of “street culture” events