New creative communities of citizens triggered by the crisis and active in the smart city ecosystem

Barcelona 20th February 2014Media-tic

Marco Polo Research GrantHosting Institute: IN3 - UOC

Valentina Bazzarinvalentina.bazzarin@unibo.it

Reality bites

When Tocqueville visited the United States in the 1830s, it was the Americans' propensity for civic association that most impressed him as the key to their unprecedented ability to make democracy work. "Americans of all ages, all stations in life, and all types of disposition:' he observed, "are forever forming associations. There are not only commercial and industrial associations in which all take part, but others of a thousand different types--religious, moral, serious, futile, very general and very limited, immensely large and very minute.... Nothing, in my view, deserves more attention than the intellectualand moral associations in America."

(Putnam, 1995)

Attraction Vs Reaction

“At the heart of our social fabric, culture shapes our identities, aspirations and relations to others and the world. It also shapes the places and landscapes where we live, the lifestyles we develop. Heritage, visual and performing arts, cinema, music, publishing, fashion or design manifest themselves strongly in daily life but the contribution that cultural and creative sectors can bring to social and economic development in the EU is still not fully recognised.”(Communication from the commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, 2012)

In a recent past Barcelona had already attracted talents and it still appeals to creative workers looking for the opportunity to express themselves. People working in art, design and architecture contributed to change both the urban landscape and the significance of a city working for years precariously but inspired by the “credo that individuals actually have some power over their economic destinies” (Ross 2009). Most of this people are still based in Barcelona and they compose part of “the precarious generation” that after the global economic crises promoted the grassroots movement worldwide known as the “indignados”.

Alfredo Jaar, Cultura = Capitale (2012)

The crisis factor

#15M in Barcelona

Hilgartner and Bosk (1988, p. 55)

Creativity and Civic Hacking

Source: http://www.dispatchwork.info/venice

Placement in the social context

Sennett (1999 in Featherstone and Lash, eds.) “the sense of place is based on the need to belong not to a ‘society’ in the abstract but to somewhere in particular; in satisfying that need, people develop commitment and loyalty. As the shifting institutions of the economy diminish the experience of belonging somewhere special at work, people’s commitments increase to geographical places like nations, cities and localities.” (p.15).

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE… An ethnographic observation of digital agenda process perceived by both social-media active users and social-media inactive citizens living in Barcelona

Is the community a medium?

Method

- Ethnography of places and communities- 12 in depth interviews to extract keywords- Analysis of documents

● crises ● miserables● coworking● sharing● close/open

(inclusion/exclusion)● politics● immigrants/ no catalans● institutionalized● comida ● selling● price● perimeter of the citadel● enclosure

● sustainability● policy change● citizens/neighborhood● attraction● recycled materials● craftsman● bricoleurs● independentist hype● violence● places safety● market opportunities● self-sufficient a● services and connections● “silicon valley for the poors”

Source: http://blog.gardeviance.org/

Creative policies

Proven capacity of creative district to boost realty prices in selected cities, building on well documented and by now, formulaic cycles of gentrification

Creative occupation do not entail cost-intensive institutional support

LOW LEVEL OF PUBLIC INVESTMENT

(Ross, 2009, p.33)

Is the crisis reshaping the smart and creative city?

The crisis as well as cheap and affordable technologies are reshaping the (knowledge) society

Sum up and further steps

what the fieldwork tells… “is the aftermath of carpe diem” (Castells in Aftermath of the crisis)available on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjJaheN_S20

Bologna calling

citizens requests:- basic rights- inclusion- opportunity- spaces of hope (Harvey)- spaces of debate- spaces of culture

political answers:- spectacular urbanism- touristic facilities- attracting investment- promotion of new economic sectors