Totatoga

Historic Downtown Culture Cluster ‘Totatoga’: A Best Practice on Culture

LAUNCHED in 2010, the Totatoga project carried objective of fostering a cultural cluster in the historic downtown area of Busan, particularly in Jungang-dong, an area that still retains remnants of Korea’s tumultuous contemporary history. Busan Metropolitan City leased and then sublet empty houses and buildings in the neighborhood to local artists as spaces for them to carry out creative and artistic activities. Having successfully completed two phases, spanning from 2010 to 2015, the Totatoga Project is now in its third phase, scheduled to be from 2016 to 2018.

Introduced with the slogan, Creative City Busan, Where Culture Thrives in Daily Life, Busan Metropolitan City’s culture policy has the following aims.

First, it is designed to foster a “living culture,” such that cultural activities, enrichment, and entertainment are a part of the daily lives of all residents.

Second, it aims to support the development and creation of platforms, infrastructure, and bases for encouraging cultural activities in the community.

Third, it uncovers and supports distinctive cultural contents with a potential for increasing tourism and the local income level.

Unlike other municipal governments in Korea that tend to purchase buildings, the Busan Metropolitan City decided instead to lease old properties in Jungang-dong and sublet them to local creative groups. The building owners

who agreed with the project’s aims voluntarily lowered their rents, allowing the Busan Metropolitan City to procure all of the spaces it needed (for a total of KRW 400 million in 2010) for relatively small budget. The first phase of the Project started with the subletting of 35 rooms in 11 buildings in 2010. The Project, now in its third phase, encompasses 77 rooms in 23 buildings.

The Project has been incredibly successful because it has actively supported the sharing of creative ideas and artistic views among artists and residents.

Once the Project was launched, it drew a steady stream of outgoing and talented artists who have since helped to organize diverse festivities and public events. As the number of visitors to the area began to increase, the Project was introduced in the national media as an exemplary public-private urban renewal partnership that achieved success in less than two years of its launching.

One of the most popular programs is the Totatoga Tour, attracted 46,515 tourists in 2015 alone, with the cumulative from 2010 to 2015 coming to 157,452. The tenant artists organize 16 street performances (drawing audiences of around 2,400) a year on average. Other popular and participatory events include the Printing Street Project, the Alleyway Farming Project, and the Printing Street Culture Class. As tenant artists and local residents mingle through these open public programs, it creates an enhanced sense of community and belonging.

Success factors The building owners and artists, with guaranteed autonomy and freedom, successfully worked together to transform dilapidated urban buildings and facilities into new spaces of cultural and artistic activities. The Busan Metropolitan City successfully chose an area and brought to it talented artists who were equally passionate about urban renewal.

The tenant artists have gone on to organize many cultural and creative events and activities, increasing local participation, strengthening the local sense of communal solidarity, and bringing more revenue into the area. All these changes have helped to revitalize what had been a decaying neighborhood and give its residents new hopes and dreams.

The Totatoga Project illustrates how a public-private partnership under effective governance can help solve serious urban issues, despite traditional conflicting public-private economic and social interests. The Project has demonstrated the power of culture and the arts to bring new life and vitality to area beset with urban sprawl and decay.