The Cultural District Between Planning and Spontaneity: The Agglomeration Dynamics in Manifattura delle Arti in Bologna

Liola Urso; Valeria Morea

doi:10.6092/issn.2612-0496/17768

Authors

Liola Urso Erasmus University Rotterdam

Liola Urso holds a degree in Cultural Heritage Studies from the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna. She pursued a master’s in Management of Artistic and Cultural Resources at IULM University, Milan. In 2023 she obtained a Master’s degree in Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship from Erasmus University Rotterdam. This article is based on her Master’s thesis.
Valeria Morea Erasmus University Rotterdam

Valeria Morea is assistant professor at the Erasmus School of History, Culture, and Communication in Rotterdam, where she teaches courses in cultural economics and cultural management. Her research examines the cultural civil society from economic and institutional perspectives. Her previous work has explored collective action and artistic entrepreneurship in Venice and Bologna, the realization of values in the arts, and art in public spaces.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2612-0496/17768

Keywords:

cultural districts, cultural planning, spontaneity, agglomeration dynamics, urban regeneration, bologna

Abstract

Cultural clusters are renowned to bring many benefits in terms of agglomeration and therefore they are often employed as catalysts of urban regeneration. Policymakers attempted to recreate this phenomenon through top-down strategies. However, it has been observed that clusters often arise naturally without direct intervention from local governments or policy incentives. Therefore, the policy dilemma of whether it is possible to plan something that tends to emerge spontaneously arises. Drawing on urban and cultural policy issues, this article aims at investigating the agglomeration dynamics within the planned district Manifattura delle Arti in Bologna. Through 14 interviews with the key actors involved in the district, two main findings are unveiled: the presence of a spontaneous subcluster of bottom-up organizations within the planned district and the civil society as an engine of regeneration and inclusion.

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The Cultural District Between Planning and Spontaneity: The Agglomeration Dynamics in Manifattura delle Arti in Bologna

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