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Copyright © 2005 International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISoCaRP)
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Published by ISoCaRP Supporting Institutions: Bilbao City Council Bilbao Ría 2000 Knowledge Partner: Fundación Metrópoli Editorial Team: Waikeen Ng (Editor) Judith Ryser (Editor) Stephen Ramos (Assistant) Design and Layout by Fundación Metrópoli: Waikeen Ng Anuar Fariz Paul Múle Translations: Adrian Burton Hany Elgendy ISBN 90-755-24-37-4 D.L. M-40310-2005 Printed in the EU Madrid, October 2005
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CONTENTS 5
Foreword
Alfonso Vegara
Introduction 10
Judith Ryser and Waikeen Ng
SSiliclicoonnVVaallelleyy and Beyond
David Nieh
Towards an Architecture of Creative Communities Towards an Architecture of Creative Communities 2 6 BilBbialboao Jon Azua and Fundación Metrópoli
Bilbao Ría 2000and andthe theGuggenheim GuggenheimEffect Effect The Basque Country
etehrlearnladnsds Jaap J. Modder and Jeroen Saris 4 6 NeNth Creative Environments Dutch City-Regions Creative Environments in theinDutch-City Regions 6 6 HeHlseilnskini ki Marko Karvinen
Innovation and Creative Strategies: Reinventing Regional Governance Innovation and Creative Strategies - Reinventing Regional Governance
itirbitaiba Cleon Ricardo dos Santos 8 6 CuCru Ecology to Technology Eco-Technology FromFrom Ecology to Eco 1 0 0 JJaappaann Hari Srinivas
The Eco-Towns Strategy The Eco-Towns Strategy 1 1 2 DDuubbaai i Amer A. Moustafa
Creative Dynamics Dynamics of of aa City City Vying Vying aa Global Global Stature Stature The Creative
mbbrirdidggee William Wicksteed 1 3 0 CCaam The Cambridge Phenomenon The Cambridge Phenomenon
re Arthur Aw and Cindy Koh 1 5 0 SSininggaappoore One-North Initiative: Where Ideas One-North Initiative - Where Ideas GrowGrow 1 6 8 BBaarcrceelolonnaa Miquel Barceló
22@: A New for theEconomy Creative Economy A New District for District the Creative 1 8 4 GGuuaaddaalalajajarara Francisco Pérez Arellano
Generating Spaces forCreative the Creative Economy Generating Spaces for the Economy 2 0 6 PPhhilialaddeelplphhiaia Jeffrey Tubbs
Art, Culture and Education Art, Culture and Education
raknfukfrut rt Bernd Scholl 2 2 0 raFn The Europaviertel Project The Europaviertel Project 2 3 6 LLoonnddoonn Judith Ryser
The Bromley-by-Bow Centre: People Creativity in East the East The Bromley-by-Bow Centre:: People Creativity in the End End 2 5 4 NMeawnYhoartktan Thomas K. Wright and L. Michael Ronderos
Meatpacking District's Creativity at the Waters' Meatpacking District's Cool Cool: - Creativity at the Waters' EdgeEdge 2 7 2 DDuubblilnin Dick Gleeson and Mary Conway
Strategies forKnowledge the Knowledge Economy UrbanUrban Strategies for the Economy
rbaann Peter Robinson 2 8 6 DDuurb The Cato Manor Experience The Cato Manor Experience
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Foreword Alfonso Vegara President ISoCaRP - AIU - IGSRP The International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) is a global organisation of experienced professional planners with members in over 70 countries. Our members are committed to improving our cities through research, planning practice, education and training. Being an international association of planners in a global world of cities is a fantastic opportunity and a responsibility to face key urban issues, and to help cities find a coherent path to the future. I am pleased to introduce the ISOCARP Review, the new thematic publication that complements the research efforts prepared for the annual ISOCARP Congresses. The Review contains some of the most interesting Case Studies related to the Congress theme. The contributions come from agencies, professionals and ISOCARP members who are directly involved in the design and management of these flagship urban initiatives. The ISOCARP Review is aimed not only at planning professionals and city officials, but also at the general public interested in urban issues. This initiative is the result of ISoCaRP's commitment towards the authentic transformation of our cities. As evidenced by the themes of our annual Congresses, ISOCARP has always been a forward-looking organisation. The title of the pilot issue of the ISOCARP Review – "Making Spaces for the Creative Economy"– coincides with the theme of the 2005 Congress in Bilbao. The editors of this issue have brought together projects and initiatives that are fostering new urban spaces for economic activities linked to the creative economy. As creativity is not the prerogative of a certain region, nor is it only found in the larger metropolises, the contributions were carefully chosen from around the world. These were structured to "tell the story" of the different projects. As a coherent set, they allow the reader to understand the context and origins of each project and the different developmental processes. In this way, perhaps most importantly, the publication seeks to inspire other cities to adopt creative approaches for their new projects related to the relevant topic for improving our cities in an open and competitive world. Preparing this publication has taken tremendous effort and time. On behalf of the Society, I would like to express my thanks to all the authors who have contributed to this publication, many of whom are our members. We are indebted to Bilbao City Council, Bilbao Ria 2000 and Fundación Metrópoli for supporting this publication. I am also very grateful to the Executive Committee and all other members who have contributed to this new initiative. In particular, I would like to thank Waikeen Ng and Judith Ryser for their efforts as editors.
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Introduction Judith Ryser and Waikeen Ng Editors As a contribution to the 2005 International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISoCaRP) Congress in Bilbao, Spain, this first issue of the ISoCaRP Review aims to present experiences and knowledge on the topical planning issue of "Making Spaces for the Creative Economy". It is an initiative to discover common features which assist cities in coping with a global competitive environment. The cases were selected for their innovative approaches to enhance the creative economy. Their pursuit of excellence in planning successful solutions for their own needs should inspire urban stakeholders elsewhere. How these cities are managing to attract and generate new creative industries by providing urban spaces to suit their requirements and high quality urban places to satisfy their knowledge workers could be an inspiration for them all. The case studies acknowledge that each city is unique and has to build on its existing strengths and weaknesses but they can learn from each other. The review is producing a wealth of inspirational information on cities preparing for the knowledge age from all parts of the world. Characteristics of the Case Study. The papers included in the Review deal with different stages of the implementation process. They range from not yet implemented plans to the processes of implementation and evaluation, and sometimes include the development of new initiatives derived from the implementation process. The cases adopted three types of approaches: top down (Singapore, Dubai, Dublin Digital Hub, Barcelona, Philadelphia, Frankfurt, Guadalajara, Dutch regions, and Japan); bottom up (Dublin Temple Bar, London, New York, Durban Cato Manor); and networked with vertical and/or horizontal integration (Silicon Valley, Cambridge, Durban, Bilbao, Helsinki, Curitiba).
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The case studies also operate at different scales, sometimes simultaneously: Global trans-national (Dutch regions, Silicon Valley), regional polycentric (BilbaoBasque Country, brain ports in Eindhoven and Arnhem-Nijmegen, Helsinki, Silicon Valley), metropolitan/city (Curitiba, culture-based creative economy in Amsterdam, Dubai, Cambridge, Guadalajara, Barcelona, Japan), urban quarter (Singapore, Durban, Dublin, Barcelona 22@, Philadelphia, Frankfurt, Guadalajara) and community level (London, New York, Dublin, Durban). Common Features. Most cases base their planning approach to the creative economy on sustainability principles: combining economic development with social inclusion and care for the environment in the long term. The long time-frame required to successfully implement their innovative strategies is another common feature. Criteria of Creative Cities. Other criteria of "creative cities" found in the case studies are: culture as urban driver, culture as local economy, diverse offering of culture; advanced/alternative technology, symbolic production; learning environment and knowledge base, fostering human creativity, inclusion of the creative class; high quality (urban) design, convivial environments (24/7) and infrastructure fostering clusters; innovative urban organisation, branding and marketing, distinctiveness, own urban value system and internationalisation. Together, the case studies show that creative cities are cradles of knowledge networks operating simultaneously at global, micro and nano scale in synergy with the urban environment. Their asset is their genius loci. Their unique identity is wedded to their locality, their place where planners' innovative contributions comes to the fore. It is up to them to make use of specific attractive features such as waterfronts and historic areas, or to turn brownfield sites into places for the creative industries, enabling them to retain talented workers and to continuously reinvent themselves. Innovation in creative cities is a social process between individuals, corporations, city regions and ultimately the global creative community. It is about what Richard Sennett calls "being together with strangers". Creative economies at city and regional levels aim to maintain their corporate, institutional and government clusters. For example, academic institutions bring their vast networks of individuals to their city region as key contribution to the creative economy. Conversely, creative activities colonise and breed in indeterminate spaces (fusion spaces) and it is up to the planners, their design and urban management strategies to enhance these places without destroying their spontaneous creativity. Many cases were inspired by Richard Florida's view that creativity is a means to prosperity by providing better-paid jobs, enhancing the quality of life, and contributing generally to a fair and just society. Their planning approaches endorse his premise of the need for technology, talent and tolerance. Cases show, that as opposed to work ethic based on efficiency, pursuit of individual self-interest or 7
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mass production cities which nurture, the creative economy puts a premium on leisure, multicultural diversity and social security. Institutional Prerequisites of Creative Urban Economies. An innovative common feature of many cases is that there are institutional and management prerequisites for creative development. Strong leadership (civil courage, optimism, staying power, diplomacy, firmness), together with a focused approach, realistic goals and - in the medium term - self-reliant funding, are essential in most cases. They also acknowledge the need for a long-term perspective, endurance and collective enthusiasm to implement innovative urban strategies. Self-knowledge, awareness of their specific strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes the will to harness local human resources are giving cities and edge when seeking public, private and social partners. Despite the misgivings of some planning departments, making places for the creative economy require an ad hoc multi-agency organisation for participatory cooperation. Cases show, that besides partners from the public, private and social sectors, they also benefit from involving agencies from different levels of decisionmaking. Clearly-defined tasks, powers and responsibilities of each partner are essential for the good functioning of such purpose-made development agencies, as well as good links with the existing power structure. They also need to be flexible and responsive to unforeseen changes and uncertainties. Cases also show that project-based agencies with a predetermined timeframe of existence stand the best chance to implement their objectives. Due to the long-term nature of such innovative projects, flexible institutional forms have to be invented to assure their continuity. The success of those in charge of implementation and maintenance also depends on their transparency and concerted effort to interact with those affected, inhabitants, businesses other community interests. Another common thread in many cases is the conviction that sustained creativity cannot be generated top down and at a large scale. The creative chain of inspiration-interaction-transaction has its own momentum in each particular case and it is the task of the coordinating agency to be aware of these rhythms and act accordingly with, not against them. Creative Planning Approaches. Finally, the cases illustrate a wide range of creative planning approaches. Some planning teams see their task as creating a springboard for further spin-offs with their own momentum. Others resort to framework plans which are able to adjust rapidly to changing circumstances. If strategies are developed at the metropolitan level, they require decentralised multiple implementation. If several projects are planned simultaneously at the same level, they benefit from creating synergy between programmes and projects. All these innovative planning strategies have to consider phased development with options of new departures based on continuous monitoring and evaluation. 8
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Plans which proposed flexible transformation mechanisms within morphological specifications are the most promising to be implemented, especially if they promote mental re-mapping of the urban spaces concerned. An agency created specifically to conceive, design and implement spaces for the creative economy has to ensure links with stakeholders from the broader context, be it other development agencies or central government. Free flow of information and pro-active sustained communication are key to the success of ad hoc agencies to obtain wider support including initial funding, often in a climate of controversy and opposition. It is their task to build consensus, together with the existing institutions, to remain responsive to outside other interests and to welcome newcomers who are willing to make positive contributions.
Cover Photo courtesy of Bilbao Ria 2000 Photo on page 3 courtesy of Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia Image on page 4 courtesy of JTC Corporation Photo on page 6 courtesy of IPPUC Photo on page 9 courtesy of Helsinki City Council
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