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

On-line Journal Modelling the New Europe
Issue no. 4/2012
discussion topic, or highways. Currently, in Cluj-Napoca, there are also some categories of
infrastructure, such as the accommodation, which does not present an increasing
importance because at present the demand meets the offer 16 .
Thus, we see that regardless the need or not of some infrastructure investments, each
project will be able to find a use at that time. We believe that all these will lead to a better
economic development of the city and also of the region because, for example, a new
access road will facilitate the arrival of investors and tourists and might ride their number.
Conclusions
The ECoC project is a multi-levels program that brings different effects on many topics as
economy, visibility, etc., effects that can be treated individually, independent by topic or
interconnected, in dependence because the majority of the topics analyzed above generate
economic growth and thus enhancing the effects of a cultural project such as the one
discussed in this paper.
The analysis of the two cities, Sibiu ECoC 2007 and Cluj-Napoca 2020, bring concrete
examples on the significance and impact of a program like ECoC for a particular city /
region, not only in the year of the event hosting, but also in the application years. The
impact of such a cultural project has of course a high rank for the title holder city, but it is
also important for the whole region where the city is geographically located to and further,
in some respects, it has national effects as well.
We conclude that because the majority of such projects’ effects are positive and most
importantly, sustainable effects, the statement that ECoC represents a regional
development tool is realistic.
16 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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