ASSESSMENT 2 International events – ‘cities of culture’
The European Union’s Capital of Culture and the Uk’s City of Culture programmes respectively are designed to showcase a city as a beacon of culture through a year of events. In both cases the cities chosen are most often post-industrial cities, looking to acquire a degree of cultural capital (see Throsby) and through that attract tourism, events well beyond the year long designation itself.
Many European cities have their origins and traditions in industries of various kinds. Long term shifts in the economy and society more generally have involved a great deal of manufacturing moving East, to Asia. This leaves European cities lacking economically, and also perhaps in terms of pride and identity.
Whilst many of the recipients of the cities / capitals of culture designations could not really be described as ‘global cities’ (a term usually reserved for major cities such as London, Berlin, Paris and Barcelona), nonetheless they have tried to develop a cultural identity and cultural sector to broaden their economic base and develop themselves economically. Tourism, both international and domestic, as well as events, are a significant part of this.
Tasks
Choose a particular example (for example, Valletta, Liverpool, Glasgow (EU) or Derry-Londonderry, Hull (UK) and compile a short bibliography of between 5 and 8 key readings focussing on the year and their relative success / failures (journal articles, reports, assessments, substantial news articles).
Write a summary of the origins, evolution and purpose of either the EU’s Capital of Culture or the Uk’s City of Culture programme. (800)
Write an assessment of the year, focussing on whether, based on the secondary material you have gathered, it achieved the goals that were set. (1200)
Tips
The UK version has not been going for long, so only Derry/Londonderry and Hull are possible. Nonetheless, you may fund sufficient useful information to tackle either. The EU version has a much longer history, and some of those cities designated have been written about very widely. Arguably the passage of time makes it easier to assess relative success, but equally relevant examples up and including Valletta can be tackled, and there is certainly sufficient material available.
Information for part 2 is readily available and fairly straightforward. Make sure the ‘purpose’ as set out by the UK government and EU respectively is set out clearly, as the 3rd part if really looking at the extent to which that has been achieved.
indicative references
There is a great deal of information on the EU and other web pages. For example:
https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/actions/capitals-culture_en
At this link there is a special edition of Urban Science on the legacy of the EU programme. Please note, though, this is only indicative – there is a great deal in the tourism / events journals that you will be familiar with
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/urbansci/special_issues/Legacy_European_Capitals_Culture
Again, this paper is not in the usual tourism journals, but is useful in general:
Falk, M. & Hagsten, E. (2017) Measuring the impact of the European Capital of Culture programme on overnight stays: evidence for the last two decades, European Planning Studies, 25:12, 2175-2191
Below is a search for ‘UK City of Culture’ in the Guardian newspaper, just as an idea of some of the useful accounts that have been written in the broadsheet press. These can be especially useful for trying to judge opinion and different views of success / failure:
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/uk-city-of-culture
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