Spaces of Culture

Research, a strategic model

Spaces of Culture concludes that the vitality of the cultural sector certainly does benefit from the construction of additional venues. However, this is only if the entire process is approached and executed in a different manner. Cultural policy and urban planning should be more integrated. This requires a shift in cultural policy, towards a proactive and integrated area-based strategy. Moreover, more room should be created for the participation model of cultural activity, besides the traditional production-distribution-consumption model. In addition, the crucial role of leadership ought to be given more attention, as well as the type of architecture, with specific criteria dependent on strategic positioning. This is developed into a model that can also be applied to different (international) cities.

Social embeddedness

Managers in the cultural sector that want a new venue should be more aware of the significance of the specific location and its architecture. The knowledge is there, but they don’t have it. Even though new construction and renovation have led to a great impulse in new cultural activity, this has not resulted in social embeddedness. Cultural managers, urban planners and architects should reach out and share knowledge about the importance of placemaking and sense of belonging and the important role for culture in this process.

Spaces of Culture is a book of high relevance for cultural organisations, architects, governments and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad that want to know more about culture in relation to placemaking and sense of belonging. It was based on the doctoral thesis with the title Spaces of Culture, A trialectic analysis of the recent developments of cultural venues in Amsterdam (february 2018). The text can be requested at Tilburg University.

The public version can be ordered with NAI using this link https://www.nai010.com/nl/publicaties/spaces-of-culture/240515#product240515-1

Marjo van Schaik regularly gives lectures about her research, in the Netherlands and abroad