Metropolis of Europe

URBAN CULTURAL LIFE AND INTER-CITY CULTURAL INTERACTIONS

FOR ‘CULTURAL DIVERSITY’ IN EUROPE

Rome meeting 25^th-26^th February 2006
At a meeting of the partners and experts, held in Rome on the 25^th-26^th February 2005, five cities were chosen for an extensive comparative analysis and research prior to a round table: Barcelona (Spain), Budapest (Hungary), Tallinn (Estonia), Rome (Italy) and Warsaw (Poland). Paris (France), represented another dimension of city life and so this was explored using other methods and criteria which were exposed during the round table in juxtaposition with the other cities to compare problems, solutions and bench-marks.

The research sought data and information regarding culturally-diverse artistic practice and cultural production in each participating city, as well as regarding cultural co-operation between cities.  The researchers’ explored existing research, carried out field work on the ground and elaborated their own analyses of cultural activities in their assigned city. 

Each researcher prepared a comprehensive report which answered the following questions: 

 §         What new artistic and cultural vocabularies and forms are being absorbed and/or developed in/by the cities (change rather than continuity)?

§         What is being rejected (continuity rather than change)?

§         In what measure are new cultural practices and emergent cultural industries culturally diverse and/or hybridized?

§         How should one deal with dual cultural space: one for residents and the other for visitors?

§         What are the recent trends in international cultural exchanges among European cities?

§         What is the new face of the metropolises: local tradition vis-a-vis globalisation?

§         How do localism and multiculturalism relate to each other?

§         What levels of inter-cultural synergy exist and what policies are provided to increase inter-cultural dialogue?

The research focused on cultural policy makers; civic initiatives promoters; personnel from key cultural institutions and industries and new urban cultural spaces; cultural minorities. The Rome meeting ended with a set of criteria for the researchers to follow in their research and served to build communicational links between the research and management team.

Warsaw round table of experts, 23^rd – 24^th September 2005
Five extensive city reports (Barcelona, Budapest, Rome, Tallinn, Warsaw), a discourse on the city of Paris (paper present in French) and four shorter papers from Helsinki, Zagreb, Berlin and Moscow were presented on the 23^rd  -24^th  September 2005 at the CIRCLE Round Table co-organised by the Pro Cultura Foundation. The title of the round table conference was: Metropolis of Europe. URBAN CULTURAL LIFE AND INTER-CITY CULTURAL INTERACTIONS FOR ‘CULTURAL DIVERSITY’ IN EUROPE

An extensive conference reader was collated and delivered to participants in advance of the meeting so that the information could be absorbed and this would advance the discussions in Warsaw. The conference reader was 230 pages in length and included, Messages of Welcome, Introduction, an overview by expert Christopher Gordon, five extensive city reports, 3 shorter city reports (the fourth was delivered at the meeting), a bibliography, participants list and programme

This project was co-financed by the European Commission, Directorate -General for Education and Culture, City of Warsaw, City of Rome, Province of Rome, Budapest Observatory and CIRCLE.