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ABSTRACT
The paper is part of an ongoing thesis on the city of Matera (Italy). The research questions the effects and challenges of a double international recognition on urban space production: the mega-event ‘European Capital of Culture’ and the UNESCO World Heritage status. Using Matera’s bid book to become the European Capital of Culture, the paper focuses on the vocabulary used by the experts in charge of the application and questions the city models underlying the cultural programme. Through the use of an entrepreneurial vocabulary, the stakeholders of the Matera–Basilicata 2019 Foundation propose to transform the classic modes of bureaucratic management and the way of conceiving urban design. In this perspective, the challenge is no longer to invest in infrastructural components or public facilities but to create a new attractive image of the city. In this context, the Foundation in charge of the organization of the event acts as a company to promote new narratives and to provide new services for the city. The label ‘European Capital of Culture’ is therefore used to promote the city through a new urban vision, which reinterprets the local and historical urban representations.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 In the rest of the article I will use the acronym ECoC to refer to the European Capitals of Culture.
2 According to the American economist, creativity is today a driving force of contemporary capitalism, which is giving rise to a new social class: the creative class. (Vivant Citation2006). His theory is based on three factors that, according to him, are correlated with economic growth: “Tolerance, Technology and Talent” (Darchen and Tremblay Citation2008).
3 From 1985 to 2005, the “European Cities of Culture” – which will then become the “European Capitals of Culture” – are chosen by the government of the country designated to host the event.
4 Athens in 1985, Florence in 1986, Amsterdam in 1987, Berlin in 1988 and Paris in 1989.
5 Written in 2014 the bid book is entitled “Open Future”.
6 Six field surveys have been carried out since the beginning of the thesis with about a hundred interviews, a follow-up of urban projects and a historical analysis of the city through archive work.
7 Translation from ‘Trésor de la langue Française informatisé’ XIX et XXe siècle, 2017, atilf.atilf.fr (consulted on 15.01.2020).
8 https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/label/45761?q=label#45699 (consulted on 15.01.2020).
9 Label in this case refers to a group of characters that can be used to identify and describe an item, file or package of information in computing.
10 www.treccani.it (Translation of “marchio” by the author).
11 The expression is here intended as the urban economy specialisation.
12 Website Unesco. https://whc.unesco.org/fr/list/670 (consulted on 1.04.19).
13 Literally “bat cave” (author’s translation).
14 The competition takes place in two phases: pre-selection and final selection. On 20 November 2012, the Ministry of Culture launched a call for applications to all Italian cities. The European Parliament delegates to the Ministries of the State chosen to host the Cultural year the organization of the competition for the title of European Capital of Culture. On 23 April 2013, the Italian Minister of Culture signs the regulations for the “Competition for the title of Culture 2019 in Italy”, which he published on the Ministry's website. By the deadline of 20 September 2013, 21 applications had been submitted: Aosta; Bergamo; Cagliari; Caserta; the cities of the Val di Diano with the Cilento Park; Erice; Grosseto-Maremma; L'Aquila; Lecce; Mantova; Matera; Palermo; Perugia, Pisa; Ravenna; Reggio Calabria; Siena; Siracusa; Taranto; Urbino; Venice. The pre-selection meeting took place in Rome from 11 to 15 November 2013. The jury then recommended six cities to participate in the final selection. (The Selection Panel’s 2014. Selection of the European Capital of Culture in 2019 in Italy, Rome).
15 The Italian Ministry of Culture appointed the thirteen members of the selection panel on 21 October 2013. Seven are appointed by the European institutions (European Parliament, Council of the European Union, European Commission and Committee of the Regions) and six by the Ministry in consultation with the European Commission. (The Selection Panel’s 2014. Selection of the European Capital of Culture in 2019 in Italy, Rome).
16 The Selection Panel’s. 2014. Selection of the European Capital of Culture in 2019 in Italy, Rome.
17 The Selection Panel’s. 2014. Selection of the European Capital of Culture in 2019 in Italy, Rome.
18 The Institute of Demo-Ethno-Anthropology (translation by the author).
19 The dossier is written in two versions: one Italian and one English. My analysis is based on the Italian version to identify the english expressions.
20 The term appears a total of 13 times in the document.
21 P.3 of the bid book.
22 The term “Mezzogiorno” refers to the regions of southern Italy. These are usually characterized by low economic development and lack of industrial infrastructure (Cersosimo and Donzelli Citation1996).
23 P.3 of the bid book.
24 The use of this license – created to have more flexible intellectual property rights – is indicated as an obligation for projects related to the Matera 2019 programme. The expression is indicated on pages 10, 11, 20, 37, 51, 63 and 82.
25 The adjective appears 155 times in the bid book.
26 The term appears 22 times throughout the bid book and describes the international networks, the links with the European institutions but also the social networks considered as spaces for debate.
27 The principle of “crowdfunding” is enunciated as a way of involving citizens who have emigrated from Basilicata. They are invited to participate through symbolic funding to support the event (12 and 98 of the bid book).
28 Page 9 of the English bid book: “Engage in a systemic capacity-building programme for socio-cultural operators and local authorities in Basilicata. At the heart of the project-building efforts of operators in the creative and cultural fields is a strong cooperative philosophy that supersedes the culture of welfare. Their efforts focus on enhancing networking capacities, forming new sustainable models for cultural action.”. In the italian bid book it is the term of “assistance” which is used.
29 The term is used to refer to local economic development (5, 88) with a budget allocated to the promotion of the tourist destination (94, 95) and an important strategy with sponsors (95).
30 The word is used to talk about the objects to be created and sold for the Matera 2019 event (98, 99).
31 These are actually project managers who accompany local cultural operators to implement their production in 2019 (show, exhibition, concert) (9, 30, 54).
32 People mobilized to create a link between the inhabitants of Matera and the tourists (9, 18, 30, 54).
33 The term is used to refer to potential participants in the Open Design School (53).
34 The term is used to refer to the potential participants in the Open Design School (53) but also to the project entitled Jazz Notes in which the bloggers are tasked with telling the story of the event.
35 This is the role of the actors of Matera Links who, through seminars and visits, will have to collect citizens’ initiatives (54).
36 The expression appears nineteen times in the file.
37 Translation for “abitante culturale”.
38 The expression is used on p.45 to refer to the cultural project aimed at a wide group of citizens: children, teenagers, old people, young people, students, disabled people, migrants, emigrants, prisoners, people with mental disorders … It is also used on p.54 as part of the mission assigned to Matera Links.
39 This mode of transport is described as “smarter, alternative and sustainable” (96, 101).
40 Interview with the mayor Raffaello De Ruggieri, 18 october 2017 in Matera (Translation by the author).