Culture meets Economy

The settlement and establishment of creative industries in a region and the intention to give artists and performers a place for their creative work, is a central topic in economic and regional development strategies. Creative communities can make a significant contribution to the economic development of a region. Several examples from the United States (New York / Soho) and in European cities like Berlin or Zurich show how art and cultural projects can be used as revitalization tools for districts and urban areas.

The idea of the project is based on this and the lessons learned from the events "Culture meets Economy": With the idea "Creative Hotspot Bolzano South – a vision?" we want to go a step further in the practical implementation of "culture meets industry/economy" and to capture the topic of the event in 2014 "Small places, great works – great works, great places”.

Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol, is the result of different developments, during which districts and areas of the city developed from small to large places and from places to non-places, such as the industrial zone Bolzano South.

The idea of the project is to bring “art and culture” into the industrial zone Bolzano South, as a historically important and for the social and economic development of the region very significant place. Furthermore, it should be point out, which role art and culture can play in the complexity of modern urbanity. In practical terms, this should be realized through the cooperation of local companies with internationally famous artists and cultural performers. From a scientific point of view, we are interested in understanding and analyzing the development of modern urbanity and the role of art and culture as location factors in the creation of urbanity. The project includes an empirical study.