- Email: [email protected]
On the occasion of this special edition
Cities 27 (2010) S1–S2
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Cities journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cities
Editorial
On the occasion of this special edition
In the midst of the greatest worldwide depression since 1929, global society is at a turning point, on the verge of moving away from the existing social and economic system. There is a concomitant need for an urgent re-examination of existing theories in the disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. In urban studies too, the important issue has become a reconsideration of global cities, of sustainable cities, and of creative cities that have flourished up until the beginning of the 21st century. The underlying causes of the current worldwide depression include, first, that the system of mass production and mass consumption of durable consumer goods, such as automobiles and high tech electronic devices, whose continuous growth had formed the basis of 20th century economy and society, has reached its limits in Europe, America, Japan, and other advanced countries. Second, that covering up the crisis in the real economy, a rampant surge in financial capitalism that manipulated the latest methods of financial engineering was permitted; enormous sums of spurious ‘virtual’ capital gave rise to property bubbles in various world cities, throwing the real economy into confusion, and deepening the crisis. Third, these economic crises have resulted in a fiscal crisis for governments, bringing about a change of course within the policy apparatus, to move ever further away from a welfare state system and towards a competitive society based on market principles; through the expansion of employment insecurity and the shrinking of the safety net, this has had the effect of exacerbating the social crisis. Global society has thus fallen into a compounded crisis that will be difficult to resolve in a short time. For these reasons, if we are to really undertake a change in the system, I believe that we must consider the following issues: first, a transition away from globalization based on market principles, where finance is at the core, to an alternative globalization that recognizes cultural diversity; second, a transition to a ‘creative economy’ based on ‘culture-based production’ and away from a system of mass production and mass consumption; third, the revival of creative work that produces ‘authentic value’ that is backed up by cultural values, and the emergence of ‘culturally creative individuals’ who can create their own lifestyle culture, transcending spurious consumption booms; and fourth, a systematic blueprint for an inclusive and full-engagement society wherein each and every citizen can fully develop their creativity while being guaranteed a basic income, unlike the forms of welfare provision extant up until now. One model that has attracted attention of the new cities that have emerged in this period of systematic transition is the ‘socially inclusive creative city’. The horizons that this theory and practice open up, in that they envision a new social system for the post0264-2751/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.cities.2010.03.007
depression world, can be seen as a valuable laboratory that will provide abundant experience and information. Only a new model of this kind can also hope to address the going concern over threats to the natural environment and the consequences of climate change. This special edition sets its eyes upon this major transition of the social and economic system in the midst of the great worldwide depression, and while touching upon practical experiences of urban revival in Japan and other parts of Asia, aims at constructing a new urban model that can re-forge existing creative cities and build a bridge to social inclusion. The first point is the transition away from a mass productionstyle industrial society towards a ‘creative economy’ that encompasses a ‘cultural mode of production’ wherein cultural values and economic values are given equal standing, and the maturing of policies for creative cities, rich in cultural diversity, in order for that to happen. In particular, it is necessary for the cities of Japan and throughout Asia to separate themselves from the developmental thinking that up until now was focused on large scale ‘hard’ projects, and to make a transition to compact cities which anticipate the trend towards an age of reduced population. Also, it is important that they reevaluate their cities’ distinctive cultural traditions and tangible and intangible cultural resources from a global viewpoint, rearrange them, and firmly establish their own unique concepts. The second point is to confront the issue of social exclusion head on, and concentrate their concerns on a systematic blueprint for eliciting the creativity of the citizenry, recognizing arts and culture as core components of social infrastructure in a knowledge and information-based society. Specifically, this means fostering ‘spaces’ and opportunities that experiment with ‘social inclusion through arts and culture’, and giving birth to new governance for creative cities in collaboration with government. Concerning both of these issues, the key point is a social system that will encourage the dignity and creativity of individuals to the greatest extent. Many research challenges lie ahead on our path, if effective policies are to be framed that will lead towards a reconstruction of urban governance that includes an education system that encourages creativity, a production system that encourages creativity in the production process, and a system of enterprises that affords equal standing to cultural and social values along with economic values. Finally, with the aim of reinventing the city for cultural creativity and social inclusion and providing an arena for the research to this end, the Urban Research Plaza is launching a new journal City, Culture and Society from Elsevier. We would like to request support and assistance from the valued readership of Cities.
S2
Editorial / Cities 27 (2010) S1–S2
Masayuki Sasaki Director for Urban Research Plaza, Professor of the Graduate School for Creative Cities, Osaka City University, Japan E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected] Available online 1 May 2010
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Cities journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cities
Editorial
On the occasion of this special edition
In the midst of the greatest worldwide depression since 1929, global society is at a turning point, on the verge of moving away from the existing social and economic system. There is a concomitant need for an urgent re-examination of existing theories in the disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. In urban studies too, the important issue has become a reconsideration of global cities, of sustainable cities, and of creative cities that have flourished up until the beginning of the 21st century. The underlying causes of the current worldwide depression include, first, that the system of mass production and mass consumption of durable consumer goods, such as automobiles and high tech electronic devices, whose continuous growth had formed the basis of 20th century economy and society, has reached its limits in Europe, America, Japan, and other advanced countries. Second, that covering up the crisis in the real economy, a rampant surge in financial capitalism that manipulated the latest methods of financial engineering was permitted; enormous sums of spurious ‘virtual’ capital gave rise to property bubbles in various world cities, throwing the real economy into confusion, and deepening the crisis. Third, these economic crises have resulted in a fiscal crisis for governments, bringing about a change of course within the policy apparatus, to move ever further away from a welfare state system and towards a competitive society based on market principles; through the expansion of employment insecurity and the shrinking of the safety net, this has had the effect of exacerbating the social crisis. Global society has thus fallen into a compounded crisis that will be difficult to resolve in a short time. For these reasons, if we are to really undertake a change in the system, I believe that we must consider the following issues: first, a transition away from globalization based on market principles, where finance is at the core, to an alternative globalization that recognizes cultural diversity; second, a transition to a ‘creative economy’ based on ‘culture-based production’ and away from a system of mass production and mass consumption; third, the revival of creative work that produces ‘authentic value’ that is backed up by cultural values, and the emergence of ‘culturally creative individuals’ who can create their own lifestyle culture, transcending spurious consumption booms; and fourth, a systematic blueprint for an inclusive and full-engagement society wherein each and every citizen can fully develop their creativity while being guaranteed a basic income, unlike the forms of welfare provision extant up until now. One model that has attracted attention of the new cities that have emerged in this period of systematic transition is the ‘socially inclusive creative city’. The horizons that this theory and practice open up, in that they envision a new social system for the post0264-2751/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.cities.2010.03.007
depression world, can be seen as a valuable laboratory that will provide abundant experience and information. Only a new model of this kind can also hope to address the going concern over threats to the natural environment and the consequences of climate change. This special edition sets its eyes upon this major transition of the social and economic system in the midst of the great worldwide depression, and while touching upon practical experiences of urban revival in Japan and other parts of Asia, aims at constructing a new urban model that can re-forge existing creative cities and build a bridge to social inclusion. The first point is the transition away from a mass productionstyle industrial society towards a ‘creative economy’ that encompasses a ‘cultural mode of production’ wherein cultural values and economic values are given equal standing, and the maturing of policies for creative cities, rich in cultural diversity, in order for that to happen. In particular, it is necessary for the cities of Japan and throughout Asia to separate themselves from the developmental thinking that up until now was focused on large scale ‘hard’ projects, and to make a transition to compact cities which anticipate the trend towards an age of reduced population. Also, it is important that they reevaluate their cities’ distinctive cultural traditions and tangible and intangible cultural resources from a global viewpoint, rearrange them, and firmly establish their own unique concepts. The second point is to confront the issue of social exclusion head on, and concentrate their concerns on a systematic blueprint for eliciting the creativity of the citizenry, recognizing arts and culture as core components of social infrastructure in a knowledge and information-based society. Specifically, this means fostering ‘spaces’ and opportunities that experiment with ‘social inclusion through arts and culture’, and giving birth to new governance for creative cities in collaboration with government. Concerning both of these issues, the key point is a social system that will encourage the dignity and creativity of individuals to the greatest extent. Many research challenges lie ahead on our path, if effective policies are to be framed that will lead towards a reconstruction of urban governance that includes an education system that encourages creativity, a production system that encourages creativity in the production process, and a system of enterprises that affords equal standing to cultural and social values along with economic values. Finally, with the aim of reinventing the city for cultural creativity and social inclusion and providing an arena for the research to this end, the Urban Research Plaza is launching a new journal City, Culture and Society from Elsevier. We would like to request support and assistance from the valued readership of Cities.
S2
Editorial / Cities 27 (2010) S1–S2
Masayuki Sasaki Director for Urban Research Plaza, Professor of the Graduate School for Creative Cities, Osaka City University, Japan E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected] Available online 1 May 2010