OECD Culture and Local Development.pdf - PACA

3. PROMOTING LOCAL DEVELOPMENT BY CREATING CULTURAL PRODUCTS
A typology of cultural and creative districts
These districts are varied.
- Some are created spontaneously by the agents themselves (artisans, artists,
publishers, producers), while others are deliberately established by political
initiative.
- Some are specifically urban, while others involve agricultural products or landbased
cultural activities that give rise to large complexes.
- Some enjoy no legal protection, while others will be awarded labels or designations
of origin (like the appellations contrôlées) that will convey intellectual property
rights, with the dual effect of encouraging innovations on one hand and creating
economic rents for producers on the other.
- Some will largely escape the locational constraints of demand (publishing, arts
and crafts, design) while others are subject to such constraints because of their
inputs (wood, aromatic plants, etc.).
- The first type corresponds to the establishment of heritage or museum districts
in response to strong tourist demand.
At the outset, there may be an important heritage resource such as a well-known
monument or a neighbourhood with exceptional heritage value. The proactive element
here may involve renovation work carried out by the public authorities, or the
organisation of protected areas, renovation and redevelopment zones, pedestrian streets,
etc. The cultural tourism goals will often be achieved, but at high cost in terms of alterations
to public amenities, the destruction of some traditional activities, real estate speculation,
etc. Over time, such changes have led to rethinking these choices and, in consultation
with the local populace, putting the stress on heritage items that may be less prestigious
but are better integrated into local economic life. Cultural tourism development has
in fact sparked some interesting dynamics. In France, two forms of heritage district
organisation were introduced successively, but now coexist: in 1962, at the initiative
of André Malraux, “protected sectors” were established for monuments of evident heritage
value, while in 1983 the Architectural, Urban and Landscape Heritage Protection Zones
covered areas that had an equally evident social dimension.
- The second type of cultural district is the result of geographical clustering and
the organisation of production within that area.
There is no better illustration of this kind of “cultural-industrial” district than
Hollywood, although the more recent example of Babelsberg is also very interesting 91 .
CULTURE AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT - ISBN 92-64-00990-6 - © OECD 2005 107