Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development

Dear Colleagues,

The economic globalization of the recent decades has generated faster rhythms in cities’ adaptation to novelty and consequently triggered customed urban restructuring and regeneration policies and practices. From the 1970s onwards, towns and cities have experienced deindustrialization processes, while seeing a gradual growth of tertiarization and diversification of services, including cultural ones. Until then, culture in relation to cities’ development was important, especially from a historical perspective, in terms of its influence on urban forms and characteristics. With more accelerated socioeconomic dynamics, the role of culture in urban development has grown progressively. With the different, both positive and negative, effects introduced by new cultural interpretations of cities (e.g., culture in public spaces, cultural and creative industries, culture as marketing tools, cultural commodification, etc.), the concept of culture has become increasingly associated with urban image and identity. In finding solutions within regeneration processes, policies often rely on tools from the cultural and creative fields. Additionally, built material and immaterial heritage can have significant roles: e.g., converting heritage sites and buildings through cultural projects or new functions, or capitalizing on specific traditions and place memory for local identity and place attachment. 

This Special Issue focuses on cultural approaches in connection with urban development and aims for contributions from various research fields. The volume invites researchers and academics worldwide to publish their original research articles on the following themes, but not limited to these:

- Cultural activities and their role in urban development;
- Cities (re)constructing their identity, relying mainly on culture and heritage;
- Culture as a relevant component of current spatial planning policies;
- Urban strategies, attracting creative people;
- Urban image, heritage and culture;
- Culture, local memory and local identities;
- Heritage and industrial culture;
- Subcultures within cities and processes of urban change.

Contributions have to follow one of the three categories (article/review/conceptual paper) of papers for the journal and address the topic of the Special Issue.

Dr. Andreea-Loreta Cercleux
Mr. Jörn Harfst
Dr. Oana-Ramona Ilovan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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