Abstract
Through the metaphor of a rocking cradle, the author describes the relationship between cities and creativity. Creativity is intended in its wider meaning, encompassing a range of creative activities which contribute to urban and human regeneration and advancement. These processes often run faster than the city itself (city inertia), both in its spatial and administrative dimension. Different velocities of cultural and urban transformations cause frictions that can hinder creative processes. Focusing on the city of Bologna (Italy), the chapter highlights common challenges and potential solutions. Final remarks highlight the general importance of co-designing, co-governance, compromise (the “co-”paradigm), but also the specific role of people and places in governing the balance between power, problem and solution in order to nurture cultural commons.
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Notes
- 1.
Bologna is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 390,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its metropolitan area is home to more than 1,000,000 people. Source: Wikipedia.
- 2.
In recent years the Region Emilia-Romagna has addressed the topic through extensive research. The Report on the creative economy in the Region (ERVET 2012 and 2018), extensively analysed regional data in order to feed into a creative development strategy. In 2019 the latest research was published in the book Il valore della creatività. L’economia arancione in Emilia-Romagna (Bologna, Il Mulino) edited by Michele Trimarchi. In the publication, the topic of creativity and the city was explored by the author of this chapter (Mariangela Dalfovo “Una mappa della creatività: esperienze e fermenti” in Il valore della creatività).
- 3.
Official site: www.cinetecadibologna.it.
- 4.
For instance, back in 2015 Spazio Kilowatt (now known as Kilowatt—www.kilowatt.bo.it) in Bologna started a pioneering nursery school for its co-workers’ children. Today Kilowatt has become much more than a coworking space and the KW Baby (www.edu.kilowatt.bo.it.) is still up and running at the new location, where it keeps being co-developed and tested together with parents, educators and the University of Bologna, becoming a transferrable model.
- 5.
Official site: www.dynamo.bo.it.
- 6.
In 2018, Dynamo issued a public call aimed at Third Sector organisation to share its space (as headquarters, meeting place, etc.). From April to October it also made its space available (and free Wi-Fi) as a study hall and coworking space.
- 7.
Paolo Rosato, Bici contromano Bologna. “Il doppio senso è sicuro”, www.ilrestodelcarlino.it, Bologna, 15/02/2019.
- 8.
The term was made popular in 1990 by Joseph Nye with his book Bound to Lead (Nye, J. S. (1990). Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power.).
- 9.
Source: “Soft power”, en.wikipedia.com.
- 10.
More info at www.incredibol.net/en/.
- 11.
“Bilancio partecipativo: realizzazione dei progetti 2017 e 2018” on www.partecipa.comune.bologna.it.
- 12.
During the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 the municipality published an update. Participatory budgeting processes were stopped in order made those resources available for the current more pressing challenges.
- 13.
The full text in English and Italian is available on the website of the Municipality of Bologna www.comune.bo.it.
- 14.
Italian Constitution, art 118, par. 4.
- 15.
Entry: Bologna Regulation for the Care and Regeneration of Urban Commons at www.wiki.p2pfoundation.net.
- 16.
The Regulation was developed with the help of Labsus—laboratory for subsidiarity, a not for profit organisation inspired by Art. 118. Since then, Labsus has kept track of the debate, actions and circulation of the Regulation of the commons. www.labsus.org.
- 17.
As of early 2020, 211 municipalities have adopted the Regulation, sometimes with minor variations.
- 18.
The publicity and documentation of collaboration pacts depends on local administration, the actual total number of pacts is surely much bigger.
- 19.
7.8%, 65 pacts over the total sample of 830. Most agreements focus on parks, gardens or green space (46%), urban public space such as streets or squares (17%) and involve two parties (public-private) for small actions of urban care. Source: Rapporto 2019 sull’amministrazione condivisa dei beni comuni (by Labsus).
- 20.
Official site: https://www.instabileportazza.it
- 21.
Paolo Venturi, È ora di inaugurare un nuovo ciclo dell’innovazione sociale—partendo dal ‘senso’ dei luoghi, 24/02/2020, www.che-fare.com.
- 22.
The name INstabile is a pun, being both adjective and adverbial of place. In Italian, the word “instabile” means “unstable”, while the phrase “in stabile” means “in (the) building”.
- 23.
As everything else, this situation became more precarious since February 2020, by the global pandemic Covid-19.
- 24.
The construction plan was approved in 2016, and consisted of necessary interventions (such as the heating system) on the event space, adding up to a total of 1.5 million euros co-financed by the Region and the Municipality. (Micol Lavinia Lundari, Velostazione di Bologna, il Comune: “Il cantiere potrebbe partire anche fra un anno e mezzo”, 15/02/2019, www.bologna.repubblica.it).
- 25.
As a legal entity, Dynamo is a cooperative organisation with 20 + employees. It provides an essential mobility service to both residents and tourists.
- 26.
Horizontal subsidiarity is the constitutional principle that regulates the relationship between government and citizens to take care of common goods and services, which is further articulated by the Regulation on the commons.
- 27.
The reform involves more than 300,000 associative, cooperative and voluntary organisations, as well as more than six million volunteers, gathering them (i.e. associations, foundations, social enterprises, philanthropic entities, voluntary organisations, etc.) under the common status of “Third Sector Bodies”. The Code for the Third Sector harmonises the bodies’ characteristics and activities and establishes a national Register. The reform pushed the organisations to be socially and economically sustainable and has a strong focus on accountability (towards all stakeholders, including sponsors and communities). Many smaller organisations will probably be wiped away, whereas larger organisations will have to adjust and make important choices.
- 28.
Paolo Venturi, ibid.
- 29.
Filippo Tantillo, Quando i margini assediano le città: i nuovi centri culturali stanno cambiando la provincia profonda, 17/02/2020 www.che-fare.com.
- 30.
Disclaimer: the paragraph title does not refer to jazz composer and musician Sun Ra’s Afrofuturist science fiction film released in the 1970s.
- 31.
More info on the project on the website www.fondazioneinnovazioneurbana.it and in the 2018 report Per una nuova politica degli spazi a Bologna. Laboratorio spazi, Bologna.
- 32.
As urbanist Maurizio Carta wisely pointed out at a presentation of his book Futuro. Politiche per un diverso presente (2019, Il Rubbettino), “(…) la funzione regolativa del pubblico è fondamentale—poi ci sono gli incapaci, che vanno combattuti”. At Due Punti bookshop in Trento on 21/02/2020.
- 33.
The concept of the shift from the sum of individual interests to the shared collective interest is drawn from Maurizio Carta’s book Futuro (2019, Il Rubbettino).
References
Carta, M. (2019). Futuro. Il Rubbettino: Politiche per un diverso presente.
Dalfovo, M. (2019). Una mappa della creatività: esperienze e fermenti. In M. Trimarchi (Ed.) Il valore della creatività: L’economia arancione in Emilia-Romagna. Il Mulino.
Nye, J. S. (1990). Bound to lead: The changing nature of American power.
Pais, I. (2016). Il « non formale » : una categoria per leggere le trasformazioni sociali?
Zobl, E., & Klaus, E. (2012). Cultural Production in Theory and Practice. In p/art/icipate–Kultur aktiv gestalten. eJournal des programmbereichs contemporary arts & cultural production. Schwerpunkt Wissensc < z<haft & Kunst. Issue 1, Initiate: I am a Cultural Producer.
Sitography
www.bologna.repubblica.it.
www.che-fare.com.
www.cinetecadibologna.it.
www.comune.bo.it.
www.dynamo.bo.it.
www.edu.kilowatt.bo.it.
www.fondazioneinnovazioneurbana.it.
www.ilrestodelcarlino.it.
www.incredibol.net.
www.instabileportazza.it.
www.kilowatt.bo.it.
www.labsus.org.
www.partecipa.comune.bologna.it.
www.wiki.p2pfoundation.net.
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Dalfovo, M. (2020). The Rocking Cradle of Creativity. Tales of Inertia and Frictions, Cultural and Urban Transformations, Creative Actions. In: Macrì, E., Morea, V., Trimarchi, M. (eds) Cultural Commons and Urban Dynamics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54418-8_7
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