On-line journal no. 4 – July 2012 - Modelling the New Europe

On-line Journal Modelling the New Europe
Issue no. 4/2012
Nowadays, an increasing trend of using cultural policy to stimulate urban development and
economic growth across Europe 1 , determined many cities to aspire to the title of European
Capital of Culture (ECoC). This desire is founded on a vague yet growing understanding
which presents the European cities as caught up in inter-urban competition 2 . Also, another
belief is that cultural policies, if used properly, can achieve economic, social or political
objectives 3 . To sustain the above-mentioned argument, we would refer to the Palmer’s
Report on ECoC which evaluates a number of twenty one European Capitals of Culture
projects, and which concludes that almost all of the candidate cities improved their image
and achieved urban regeneration 4 . One of the cities submitted to the report was also Sibiu.
Sibiu was the first city that received the title of European Capital of Culture in Romania
and also the first city ever that received this distinction at the same year when its country
became a European member. The distinction had a great importance for Sibiu and it
brought many positive effects not only for the city, but for the entire region and for the new
member state as well. It did not only place the city of Sibiu on the map of European
Cultural Cities, but also helped improving the state’s image among Europeans, it let to
economic growth and social cohesion.
On the other hand, Cluj-Napoca represents a candidate city to the title of ECoC for the year
of 2020. In 2010, the city expressed its intend in standing up for the title, and at the same
time initiated some procedures, brought together a working group which begun to think to
a strategy for this purpose 5 . Further on, we will start analyzing the two cities above-
mentioned and we will focus on five main subjects: economic impact, tourism
1 Thomas Helie, Des politiques culturelles de façade? Les effets sociaux ambivalents des opérations de
régénération urbaine par la culture, 2009 [http://www.congresafsp2009.fr], 25 February 2010], 1 June 2012
2 Alan Harding, ‘Urban regime in a Europe of the cities?’, in European Urban and Regional Studies, No. 4,
1997, pp.291-314
3 R. Griffiths, K. Bassett, I. Smith, ‘Capitalising on culture: Cities and the changing landscape of cultural
policy’, in Policy & Politics, No. 2, Vol. 31, 2003, pp. 153-169
4 Rae Palmer, European Cities and Capitals of Culture: Study Prepared for the European Commission,
2006, [http://ec.europa.eu/culture/pdf/doc654_en.pdf], 1 June 2012
5 Information obtained from an interview with Florin Moroșanu, former director of the Cultural Department
at the City Hall of Cluj-Napoca
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