CAN “PERFECTION” BE IMPROVED?
GENERAL APPROACH TO THE CITY 1.
Living in an 'almost perfect city' can be both a blessing and a handicap … More than in any other place, here it is necessary to get out of the comfort zone. But there is obviously some reluctance to do so. The starting point is almost insurmountable.
2.
My children's cases can illustrate two possible attitudes very well. My daughter, who recently turned 15, decided to spend a school year in the United States. We have many friends in Boise, Idaho, but she thought that Boise would be too comfortable for her. Many of our friends speak Basque, so she would have fewer possibilities of learning English, as she would often be surrounded by them. That's why she's currently in a town in the state of Missouri. She is the example of getting out of your comfort zone.
3.
My son, on the other hand, has decided to study Law in Donostia, at the University of the Basque Country. This is an excellent university, and, without a doubt, it will save us money! But I have the feeling that his decision was influenced by the thought that, like many Donostiarras claim, 'he lives in one of the best cities in the world'.
4.
San Sebastian's facts and figures are very impressive: high standard of living, more than 14 libraries, 15 cultural centres, four theatres, 14 sports centres, four universities, some of the best restaurants in the world, a cultural offer comparable to that of other great cities in the world, three urban beaches … A city fast becoming one of the main tourist destinations in Europe.
5.
In terms of urban plannig, it is an almost perfect place, with no major disasters to be found. All in all, a kind of 'postcard city', with no chimneys or industrial buildings in sight. Very expensive to live in, which doesn't makes us happy. On the contrary. That is possibly one of its biggest problems, because it makes it inaccessible for the young; and, without them, the future of the city is obviously not very promising.
6.
Our city doesn't seem to face great urban challenges, it looks pretty much 'finished'. That fact reduced the possibilities of putting forward a project for a ECOC that would focus on such aspects. Donostia did not have a long list of pending tasks in terms of urban regeneration.
7.
This is the context in which the proposal for a ECOC was handed over, and the starting point of my presentation.
BROAD EXPERIENCE AND COMMITMENT TO CULTURE 1.
Donostia keeps a close historical relationship with culture. It's part of its DNA. You cannot understand Donostia without thinking about culture.
2.
That is undoubtedly related to the fact that it is a tourist destination.
3.
The owners of local businesses were the promoters of the festivals that have gained international recognition over the years.
4.
No cultural equipment was created for or during Donostia 2016, European Capital of Culture. There was no need for it. Donostia already had a wide range of cultural infrastructures.
5.
Around 250 people make up the Culture Department of the Donostia City Council, which clearly proves the council's determination to promote culture. That is in fact one of its top priorities.
6.
Half of the population of Donostia (over 95,000 people) has a Donostia Kultura membership card. That gives them a number of advantages to access cultural events.
7.
Last year, Donostia Kultura sold more than 215,000 tickets.
8.
Note that Sport, Youth and Tourism are not part of the Culture Department of Donostia City Council.
9.
There are other cultural institutions which are not the responsability of the Council: the International Film Festival, with around 30 people working all year round and over 655 during the Festival. The so called 'Musical Fortnight', a major Classical music festival, the programme at the Kursaal Foundation. Tabakalera
10. In total, we're speaking of more than 500 people working in the public sector and in the field of culture. 11. Outside the public sector, there is also an important cultural offer driven by private agents and institutions. 12. In the field of dissemination, we have important festivals with a long international history. The Jazz Festival, the Film Festival or the Musical Fortnight, to mention only the most outstanding. 13. The municipality allocates more than thirty million euros a year to the area of Culture. 14. In other words, it invests 165 euros a year per citizen in the sector.
FOR ALL THOSE REASONS, DONOSTIA MADE A BRAVE AND RISKY DECISION ‌ AND IT WAS WORTH IT 1.
Donostia is the exponent of a small country of just over two million inhabitants.
2.
A city with a strong identity in which different cultural and linguistic realities coexist.
3.
A city and a country with a great capacity for innovation, very dynamic in economical terms, that has always looked abroad.
4.
But, at the same time, a city that has, over the last decades, suffered the consequences of violence.
5.
Donostia, like the rest of the Basque Country, was a fractured and conflicted society.
6.
That is the context in which the city submitted, and later won, the project for a European Capital Of Culture.
7.
It wasn't a straightforward proposal, because it was based on intangible values that are difficult to both explain and understand.
8.
And such difficulties are even bigger when trying to evaluate the project.
9.
If you ask me whether Donostia is a more cohesive, more integrated, happier city, where citizens participate more in public affairs, and whether the conflict has disappeared, my answer would be that major progress has been made in that regard.
10. In that sense, the ECOC has helped citizens to understand the need to build a city based on values. Infrastructures are important, but social cohesion is vital.
11. Citizens probably expected something else, and part of the society will therefore not feel totally satisfied. 12. But the effort has certainly paid off. 13. A small city that knows that its future is linked to Europe and the world. A genuinely European project. 14. A commitment to diversity and plurality. In our city, a small language lives alongside languages as powerful as English and French. Our young people today receive a trilingual education. My children speak three languages and are learning a fourth. 15. It was a commitment to coexistence between different languages, cultures, thoughts and opinions. In a city with a strong cultural tradition. 16. We wanted our little city to get a place on the map; and, without a doubt, Donostia is today better known than it was before.
THE RESULTS ARE SPECTACULAR 1.
Donostia has achieved great visibility and renown, and for that it was well worth it. Today Donostia is much more widely known around the world.
2.
Regarding tourism data, they speak for themselves. An example would be the number of visits from journalists to Donostia, with the huge subsequent effect on the image of our city in the whole world. 2014: 39 press trips 2015: 82 press trips 2016: 137 press trips 2014
2015
2016
GERMANY
3
17
46
UK
8
13
31
FR
2
9
36
3.
Still in the tourism sector, 1,300,000 overnight stays were recorded in 2016, 16 % more than those in 2015.
4.
This has brought a dramatic increase in the number of tourists arriving from those journalists' countries. It has therefore had a direct impact.
5.
Anthony Bourdain'a special programme about Donostia in 'Parts Unknown' on CNN must be seen in the context of the ECOC experience.
6.
There were continuous visits by different delegations. Few countries and regions in Europe have been left without a visit to Donostia.
7.
And the scope has increased substantially. The initial expectations have been exceeded. The visits of Japanese, Latin American and North American delegations have undoubtedly been one of the great contributions of the ECOC.
8.
Beyond the institutional sphere, international relations between people, institutions and companies have also increased dramatically.
9.
I am going to give you a fact that illustrates the new scenario that has arisen after the momentum gathered during the 2016 ECOC. Last year's figures are unbeatable, but the inertia continues this year. Apart from my professional responsibilities, I have personally greeted more than 200 people from abroad since last May, mostly from Boise: students, teachers and entrepreneurs eager to know our city and start collaborative projects that will make Donostia into an even more attractive city.
10. Today Donostia is better connected to the world than it was a year ago. 11. It is a better known, more valued city in the international scene. 12. In the same way, and this is another key point, the ECOC has helped us to know ourselves better, to value ourselves more, to be aware of our enormous potential. It has provided a decisive impetus to strengthen our self-esteem. 13. Donostia is today a place where its citizens are most proud of their city. They believe in their future and work to build a city that will grow and guarantee the future of the coming generations. 14. Here's an example of how they're doing it: fourteen hotels are currently being built, which will provide more than 2,000 additional beds. This is a very ambitious project that shows the mood of the city right now. 15. The economic impact of the ECOC has been enormous.
16. Many of the activities that started to take place in the city during the ECOC, have been consolidated.. FINAL THOUGTS 1.
Far from fading, the energy of the city remains intact. But we know that, for it to stay that way, we must work with the outside, and make ourselves even better known abroad. More people have to get to know us, and they must get to know us better. That's one of the reasons why I'm here today, in Leeds.
2.
If I had acted like my son, I would have stayed in Donostia, which is this week immerse in its 'Great Week', one of the main festivals of the year. I too try to leave my comfort zone, my fears and insecurities, day after day. Because that's the way people and cities grow.
3.
I thought it was my civic duty, and an act of responsibility, to meet the challenge (it is undoubtedly so to participate in a round table with the English I learned in Reno and Boise, where both Basque and English are spoken before such a distinguished audience).
4.
But there is also another reason why my son has brought me to Leeds. As important as going out and explaining to the world what we are is to bring people to our city and our country. Bring them, let them know, in all humbleness, what we are. Treat them as best as we can, with kindness. We have an excellent gastronomy, a beautiful landscape (both the mountains and the sea), a society that has worked hard but also knows how to have fun. A very modern society that has maintained its identity, language and culture. People are invited to Donostia. They will be well received.
5. As a final reflection, I will go back to the spirit that guided Donostia 2016, the ECOC. Not everything was a bed of roses. Our human condition makes us prone to conflict. We live times of uncertainty, we cannot always find answers to our fears, insecurities and the new problems we face. Certainties have disappeared and we have become accustomed to managing a new way of living. But new opportunities also arise from conflict and tension. 6.
Donostia 2016, the ECOC, brought an excellent opportunity for the people of the city to get to know each other better, to improve their coexistence (which is not always easy) and their self-esteem, to increase the coordination between the institutions and the people, who had often ignored each other in the past. Progress was made in a path that will remain.
7.
Between now and 2023, you have a unique opportunity to build a more 'livable' city, a happier, more cohesive place. We, in Donostia, will be delighted to collaborate offering our humble contribution.
8.
And above all, make sure that you always take your citizens into account. Without them, nothing will make any sense.
Imanol Galdos Irazabal Assistant Manager Donostia Kultura Donostia – San Sebastiån, 11/08/2016