Ποιειν Και Πραττειν - create and do

CIED

CIED - Cultural Innovation and Economic Development

CIED - an Article 10 ERDF project (1997 - 1999)

Volos (Greece) - project leader

Cardiff (Wales/UK)

Galway (Ireland)

Palermo (Italy)

Leipzig (Germany)

Aim

The aim of CIED was to connect culture with economic development by refining planning practices. This was done by developing specific cultural tools to facilitate planning and planning decisions e.g. cultural calendar, cultural impact studies, cultural consensus measures, cultural sustainability.

As extension of Agenda 21, it meant following up the one prime conclusion about successful implementations, namely in those cities were progress was made, it was accompanied by administrative reform. Within CIED this was validated in various ways e.g. decentralization of administrative power in Palermo meant to let people participate and to realize bottom-up success stories e.g. Zisa Factory and the entire revitalization of the historic centre in Palermo.

By including in the planning process a user group or a cultural committee made up of citizens, business people, cultural heritage experts, administrators from the city, university experts etc., such planning refinement meant above all to give the cultural sector a voice. In Galway, this meant hiring extra a cultural heritage officer who had to approve all business and development plans prior to implementation.

CIED was asked by the European Commission to produce at the final end a 'Good Practice Manual'. That was preceded by the Volos reports from the five cities to show how specific local cultures can and do act like filters in selecting and deciding which planning interventions should be undertaken.

Objectives


CIED related activities (1997 - 1999)

1997

Jan.  Meeting of all 32 Article 10 - ERDF projects in Sintra, Portugal with prime need to secure the funds already approved.

 

January

Meeting of all 32 Article 10 - ERDF projects in Sintra, Portugal with the EU Commission. The fact that the already approved funds are not secure, necessitates the creation of an Article 10 network to demand resolvement of this lag.

March

First Steering Committee meeting of the CIED partners in Volos, Greece

Introduction into the basic thesis: "Culture is theory of perception" by coordinator Hatto Fischer

Project leader: DEMEKAV - Municipal Enterprise of Volos

May

Meeting of Article 10 ERDF projects with European Commission in Thessaloniki, the current European Capital of Culture, to discuss 'cultural innovation' and what contribution culture can make to create jobs while helping to avoid over-commercialization from destroying cultural identity.

June

Second Steering Committee meeting in Palermo, Italy

It took place at the time of the Festina Festival which brings people into the old town and helps thereby in memory of how the city overcame the pest to overcome as well the dominance of the Mafia in the old historical centre. A cultural calendar was created to have all restaurants in the old centre hire artists and musicians, and this for two weeks, so that more people would spill over from the streets into the restaurants and vice versa. The city granted permission for tables and chairs outside in exchange of the restaurants proving that they would hire some artists to perform.

At the meeting was discussed very much the revolutionary thesis of Galway which wanted to base its concept of tourism solely and exclusively on the Gaelic language as attraction for Irish living abroad and wishing to return to Ireland to hear in the streets Gaelic being spoken on a daily basis.

October

Third Steering Committee meeting and first CIED conference. Meeting with Michael D. Higgins. Discussion about Galway as a city changing too rapidly so that people, local residents and citizens felt no longer a continuity of identity and meaning of place as being secure enough for them to be convinced the right decisions were taken. Galway was expanding rapidly due to the success story of the Galway festivals. At the conference citizens spoke up and reversed the original agenda determined by the city manager - an aspect of real power and responsibility for running the affairs of the city with a mayor being elected for but one year and being merely a symbolic figure head. This change in local administration had come in the Thatcher years e.g. dismantling of the Greater Council of London.

1998

 

January

Fourth Steering Committee meeting in Leipzig - Aufbauwerk, Hartmut Siemon

International Seminar in Leipzig with main purpose to evaluate and to advise the concept for a new industrial heritage museum in Plagwitz as new location for the Museum of industrial heritage. Three strands were discussed: business plan, industrial heritage and situation in Leipzig after German reunification in 1989 and the loss of all industrial jobs, the main ones located in the former industrial district of Plagwitz but also the old Leipzig book fair and its innovative network which had existed till then.

March

Fifth Steering Committee meeting in Cardiff: Tim Levenson from Cardiff Development Agency and Phil Cooke from CASS - Cardiff University. Two different tasks had to be completed in Cardiff: revamping the former coal port and linking the port to the city with Mount Stuart Square being a central piece in this urban renewal scheme since meant to attract multi-media companies in order to create a cultural quarter in the former coal exchange building.

May

CIED representative at the conference 'Working Culture' during the British EU Presidency and organised an informal working group to inform about the CIED project. Through this crucial contacts to the European Commission, German and British government were brought about with the consequence of obtaining finances to organize the EU CIED conference in Leipzig when Germany had the EU Presidency in the first half of 1999. A special interest of the German government was to promote cultural statistics and the working with cultural indicators.

June

Sixth Steering Committee meeting in Volos with all partners presenting their 'Volos' reports e.g. how they have adapted the framework conditions to link planning and culture.

September

Second CIED conference held in Leipzig - industrial heritage and the new mapping of cities, while exploring good practice models when it comes to applying cultural impact criteria e.g. Hassemer's example of Berlin reconstructing Potsdamer Platz.

1999

 

March

Seventh Steering Committee meeting in Palermo in collaboration with Jesse Marsh, Atelier and Maurizio Carta from the University of Palermo. This meant validating the 'Good Practice Manual' of CIED to be included in the Final Report.

Visited Zisa factory now a cultural center with the core piece being the archive.

Conference with Palermo Declaration

June

EU CIED Conference in Leipzig during the German EU Presidency

November onwards

Start up of CIED Association in Brussels with Michael D. Higgins honorary president

 

Overview for further materials:

 

See also

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/archive/innovation/innovating/culture/200.htm

 

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