Barrios Artísticos y Distritos Culturales

Nuevos espacios para la creatividad y la revitalización urbana

Abstract

Chaves Martín, Miguel Ángel, and Jesús-Pedro Lorente (Eds.). Barrios Artísticos y Distritos Culturales. Nuevos espacios para la creatividad y la revitalización urbana. Madrid: Editorial Icono 14, 2016. The volume gathers the results of two coordinated research projects funded by Spain's MINECO (2013–2015) that examine the role of art and culture in the revitalization of urban areas, tracing the evolution of the concept of «artistic neighborhood» — from Parisian quartiers d'artistes to the New York SoHo paradigm — toward the broader notion of «cultural district». The authors, drawn from disciplines such as architecture, fine arts, sociology, and art history, argue that the recognition of these enclaves is a social and historical construction that goes beyond bohemian presence to encompass museums, galleries, public art, and creative industries as drivers of urban regeneration. The review regards positively the plurality of approaches and the wide range of case studies — Florence, Rome, Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona, and Vienna, among others — which together constitute a diachronic multi-narrative about the construction of urban identity through culture.