Economic downturn: A threat for creative city policy or blessing in disguise?

Since at least a decade the creative city concept is very much en vogue. Culture and creativity are regarded drivers of urban economic development, and therefore as important elements of urban economic policy. In practice however, local policy in many cities is determined by a considerable degree of path dependency, while the creative city...

The creative city - a sustainable city?: An exploration of the impact of sustainable innovation and sustainable urban development on the performance of creative industries

Since at least ten years the creative city concept is very much en vogue. Culture and creativity are regarded drivers of urban economic development, and are therefore important elements of urban economic policy. At the same time, however, concerns about for instance climate change and liveability have led to an increased focus on social and...

Legitimacy of national government involvement of urban (re)development: Evidence from the Dutch 'key projects'

Urban (re)development is usually the responsibility of local government, but there are local projects which generate large national welfare effects and where national government is directly involved. However, while national government involvement in local (re)development can be legitimised theoretically, evidence from the Netherlands, France and...

Creative city policy: Bridging the gap with theory

The creative city concept is popular among researchers and policy-makers. On the one hand, academic literature elaborates, on a conceptual level, the importance of creativity and innovation for urban competitiveness; on the other, numerous cities develop and implement creative city policies in practice. The connection between these two is rather...

Van projectologie naar planologie en vice versa

Key elements of creative city development: An assessment of local policies in Amsterdam and Rotterdam

The creative city thesis states that creativity — a creative milieu — is an important precondition for innovation to flourish. Yet, the creative city is often considered a hype, something momentary. This raises the question of whether this thesis has any long-term value. This paper reflects on this question from a local policy perspective. It...

Creative city development in the Lisbon strategy: Evidence from Dutch ERDF allocation

Creativity is considered a main factor of urban competitiveness nowadays. However, while local policies increasingly reflect the ideas of Richard Florida, Charles Landry and others, the influence of the creative city concept on higher level policies is not clear. The paper takes this issue to the European Union’s Lisbon strategy, intended to...