IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/urbstu/v46y2009i5-6p1115-1135.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Social Viability of Culture-led Urban Transformation Processes: Evidence from the Bicocca District, Milan

Author

Listed:
  • Pierluigi Sacco

    (The Faculty of Arts and Design, IUAV University, Dorsoduro 2206 Convento delle Terese, Venezia, VE, 30123, Italy, sacco@iuav.it)

  • Giorgio Tavano Blessi

    (The Faculty of Arts and Design, IUAV University, Dorsoduro 2206 Convento delle Terese, Venezia, VE, 30123, Italy, g.tavano@iuav.it)

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationships between cultural activities/investments and urban transformation processes, with reference to the transformation of the Bicocca district in the metropolitan core of Milan. Bicocca has experienced a radical change in its social, economic and environmental profile as a consequence of the transition from a heavily industrial development model to a characteristically post-industrial one. This case study offers an instructive example for the understanding of how intangible resources determine transitional modes and outcomes of urban transformation, and in particular of the leading role of cultural investment in the shaping of the local network of knowledge production and circulation, sociality and identity. The paper stresses the need to strike a careful balance between the physical and intangible components of cultural initiatives—i.e. between activities and investment in facilities (cultural `software' and `hardware' respectively). Whereas the latter provide relatively immediate benefits in terms of economic impact and of endowment of usable physical capital, it is equally necessary to pursue carefully selected programmes of initiatives that involve and challenge the local community at various levels, fostering a social attitude based on intrinsic motivation rather than on instrumental opportunism. Without proper, supporting `social software', massive investment in new cultural facilities may assume a dysfunctional `cosmetic' character that is likely to exacerbate the critical aspects of urban transformation rather than tempering them.

Suggested Citation

  • Pierluigi Sacco & Giorgio Tavano Blessi, 2009. "The Social Viability of Culture-led Urban Transformation Processes: Evidence from the Bicocca District, Milan," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 46(5-6), pages 1115-1135, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:46:y:2009:i:5-6:p:1115-1135
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098009103857
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0042098009103857
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0042098009103857?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John F. Helliwell & Robert D. Putnam, 1995. "Economic Growth and Social Capital in Italy," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 21(3), pages 295-307, Summer.
    2. Stephen Knack & Philip Keefer, 1997. "Does Social Capital Have an Economic Payoff? A Cross-Country Investigation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(4), pages 1251-1288.
    3. Harry H. Hiller, 2000. "Mega‐events, Urban Boosterism and Growth Strategies: An Analysis of the Objectives and Legitimations of the Cape Town 2004 Olympic Bid," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 449-458, June.
    4. Carole Uhlaner, 1989. "“Relational goods” and participation: Incorporating sociability into a theory of rational action," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 253-285, September.
    5. DiPasquale, Denise & Glaeser, Edward L., 1999. "Incentives and Social Capital: Are Homeowners Better Citizens?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 354-384, March.
    6. Steven Miles & Ronan Paddison, 2005. "Introduction: The Rise and Rise of Culture-led Urban Regeneration," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 42(5-6), pages 833-839, May.
    7. Edward L. Glaeser & David Laibson & Bruce Sacerdote, 2002. "An Economic Approach to Social Capital," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(483), pages 437-458, November.
    8. Jacques Nussbaumer & Frank Moulaert, 2004. "Integrated Area Development and social innovation in European cities," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 249-257, July.
    9. Gui,Benedetto & Sugden,Robert (ed.), 2005. "Economics and Social Interaction," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521848848.
    10. Thomas A Hutton, 2006. "Spatiality, Built Form, and Creative Industry Development in the Inner City," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 38(10), pages 1819-1841, October.
    11. Amparo Castello & Rafael Domenech, 2002. "Human Capital Inequality and Economic Growth: Some New Evidence," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(478), pages 187-200, March.
    12. Jamie Peck, 2005. "Struggling with the Creative Class," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 740-770, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Corina TURSIE, 2017. "Culture-Led Urban Regeneration of Industrial Derelict Places. Case study: Paltim Hats Factory of Timisoara - A Cultural Social Enterprise," RAIS Journal for Social Sciences, Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies, vol. 1(1), pages 7-23, December.
    2. Margherita Carlucci & Francesco Maria Chelli & Luca Salvati, 2018. "Toward a New Cycle: Short-Term Population Dynamics, Gentrification, and Re-Urbanization of Milan (Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-12, August.
    3. Kagan Dogruyol & Zeeshan Aziz & Yusuf Arayici, 2018. "Eye of Sustainable Planning: A Conceptual Heritage-Led Urban Regeneration Planning Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-22, April.
    4. HaeRan Shin & Quentin Stevens, 2013. "How Culture and Economy Meet in South Korea: The Politics of Cultural Economy in Culture-led Urban Regeneration," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(5), pages 1707-1723, September.
    5. Pier Luigi Sacco & Guido Ferilli & Blessi Giorgio Tavano, 2012. "Sviluppo locale a base culturale: quando funziona e perch?? Alla ricerca di un framework di riferimento," PRISMA Economia - Societ? - Lavoro, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2012(1), pages 9-27.
    6. Pier Luigi Sacco & Alessandro Crociata, 2013. "A Conceptual Regulatory Framework for the Design and Evaluation of Complex, Participative Cultural Planning Strategies," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(5), pages 1688-1706, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Antoci, Angelo & Sacco, Pier Luigi & Vanin, Paolo, 2007. "Social capital accumulation and the evolution of social participation," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 128-143, February.
    2. Steven N. Durlauf, 2002. "On the Empirics of Social Capital," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(483), pages 459-479, November.
    3. Antoni, Giacomo Degli, 2007. "Do Social Relations Affect Economic Welfare? A Microeconomic Empirical Analysis," Knowledge, Technology, Human Capital Working Papers 9330, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    4. Bracco, E. & De Paola, M. & Green, C.P., 2015. "Long lasting differences in civic capital: Evidence from a unique immigration event in Italy," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 160-173.
    5. Antoci, Angelo & Sacco, Pier Luigi & Vanin, Paolo, 2008. "Participation, growth and social poverty: social capital in a homogeneous society," MPRA Paper 13661, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Hilber, Christian A.L., 2010. "New housing supply and the dilution of social capital," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 419-437, May.
    7. Bauernschuster, Stefan & Falck, Oliver & Heblich, Stephan, 2010. "Social capital access and entrepreneurship," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 76(3), pages 821-833, December.
    8. Leonardo Becchetti & Emanuele Bobbio & Federico Prizia & Lorenzo Semplici, 2022. "Going Deeper into the S of ESG: A Relational Approach to the Definition of Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-22, August.
    9. Mikucka, Malgorzata & Sarracino, Francesco & Dubrow, Joshua K., 2017. "When Does Economic Growth Improve Life Satisfaction? Multilevel Analysis of the Roles of Social Trust and Income Inequality in 46 Countries, 1981–2012," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 447-459.
    10. Eiji Yamamura, 2011. "Differences in the effect of social capital on health status between workers and non-workers," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 58(4), pages 385-400, December.
    11. Sabatini, Fabio, 2006. "The Empirics of Social Capital and Economic Development: A Critical Perspective," Knowledge, Technology, Human Capital Working Papers 12097, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    12. Miguel, Edward A. & Gertler, Paul & Levine, David I., 2003. "Did Industrialization Destroy Social Capital in Indonesia?," Center for International and Development Economics Research, Working Paper Series qt9kt2m860, Center for International and Development Economics Research, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley.
    13. Bofota, Youyou Baende & Boucekkine, Raouf & Bala, Alain Pholo, 2016. "Social Capital As An Engine Of Growth: Multisectoral Modeling And Implications," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(8), pages 2093-2122, December.
    14. Serra, Teresa & Poli, Elena, 2015. "Shadow prices of social capital in rural India, a nonparametric approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 240(3), pages 892-903.
    15. Fiorillo, Damiano & Sabatini, Fabio, 2015. "Structural social capital and health in Italy," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 129-142.
    16. Maurice Schiff, 2004. "Labor Mobility, Trade, and Social Capital," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(4), pages 630-642, September.
    17. Alia Aghajanian & Patricia Justino & Jean-Pierre Tranchant, 2020. "Riots and social capital in urban India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-42, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    18. Julie L. Hotchkiss & Anil Rupasingha & Thor Watson, 2022. "In-migration and Dilution of Community Social Capital," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 45(1), pages 36-57, January.
    19. Marta Portela & Isabel Neira & Maria del Salinas-Jiménez, 2013. "Social Capital and Subjective Wellbeing in Europe: A New Approach on Social Capital," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 493-511, November.
    20. Lionel Prouteau & François‐Charles Wolff, 2004. "Relational Goods and Associational Participation," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 75(3), pages 431-463, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:46:y:2009:i:5-6:p:1115-1135. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/urbanstudiesjournal .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.