PRACTISING SOCIAL RESEARCH

Practising Social Research

Practising Social Research

Introduction

Many European cities have focused in the last decade to seek strategic models that allow them not only a sustainable economic and social development but face adverse contexts competitive disadvantage. In many cases, many large cities but also a number of medium-sized or secondary have seen their specialization change soon. Industrial cities, associated with a particular sector have experienced dramatic changes associated with globalization, demographic dynamics, changes in infrastructure or large-scale political changes, as is the case in many cities in United Kingdom.

One of the most coveted goals is to attract economic activity back to the city in a context in which regions and cities compete to attract investment, activity, population of a given type and tourists. Concepts such as creative economy, creative cities and creative classes have broken into the logic of strategic planning of the municipalities. United Nations in their report on the creative economy (2010) sets out three priorities for these new urban environments: technology, demand (of the new services and products) and tourism.

To do seek their specificity in relation to other nearby cities or those that share characteristics without being so. This involves not only developing a strategic model, but it started and what is almost as important: it visible through city branding-the brand of the city and urban marketing (Pratt, 2010, pp. 13-20).

Discussion

The creative city has been called one of the most common strategies to put on the map and re-launch many cities since the beginning of the last decade will begin to be fashionable among urban marketing experts and politicians. This requires innovative dynamic, multidisciplinary and integrated from the field of public policy.

Transition Phase

The transition from a production economy to a service economy seemed a natural step for many regions with their corresponding cities in Europe and the United States. All this comes at a time when urban cobra new prominence lifestyles associated with youth, sophisticated and creative. The cheaper transport, economic growth and the transmission of a global consumer culture highly structured that many cities do see this as an opportunity to reinvent itself as creative cities, where knowledge, creation and management have a role players, but also and as both mirrors lifestyles attractive to new residents or tourists' hyper-qualified purchasing power of medium and high.

The ability to compete in the cities you should also add the ability to seduce and marketing products. This often leads to a reinforcement of certain local images of the reconstruction or reinvention of identities that allow stress to the city in a competitive landscape: its history, its leisure of different kinds, cuisine, cultural offerings, its geographic location, is some of these elements. The example of Berlin is without doubt one of the most important for its ability to develop and produce its own process of reinvention after reunification (Hall, 2000, pp. 639-49).

The physical transformation of the city generating attractors has been pursued by major architectural landmarks, major cultural facilities or transport (Oresund), attraction of planetary-scale events - Olympics, race, Formula 1, real estate development more or less attractive ...