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Societies
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Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development
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Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development

A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 36878

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andreea-Loreta Cercleux

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Chief Guest Editor
Department of Human and Economic Geography, Faculty of Geography and Interdisciplinary Center of Advanced Research on Territorial Dynamics (CICADIT), University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: deindustrialization and tertiarization; impact of economic activities on the environment; territorial dysfunctions; urban regeneration; built heritage and territorial identity; preservation of local identity values; creative industries; graffiti and street art
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Mr. Jörn Harfst

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Assistant Guest Editor
Institute of Geography and Regional Science, University of Graz, Heinrichstrasse 36, 8010 Graz, Austria
Interests: urban and regional development; peripheral regions; (old) industrial regions; regional governance; industrial culture
Dr. Oana-Ramona Ilovan

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Assistant Guest Editor
Department of Regional Geography and Territorial Planning, Faculty of Geography, and Territorial Identities and Development Research Centre, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca 400006, Romania
Interests: territorial development strategies; qualitative research methods; territorial identity and its role in development; cultural landscapes; representations of territorial identity and development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The economic globalization of the recent decades has generated faster rhythms in cities’ adaptation to novelty and consequently triggered customed urban restructuring and regeneration policies and practices. From the 1970s onwards, towns and cities have experienced deindustrialization processes, while seeing a gradual growth of tertiarization and diversification of services, including cultural ones. Until then, culture in relation to cities’ development was important, especially from a historical perspective, in terms of its influence on urban forms and characteristics. With more accelerated socioeconomic dynamics, the role of culture in urban development has grown progressively. With the different, both positive and negative, effects introduced by new cultural interpretations of cities (e.g., culture in public spaces, cultural and creative industries, culture as marketing tools, cultural commodification, etc.), the concept of culture has become increasingly associated with urban image and identity. In finding solutions within regeneration processes, policies often rely on tools from the cultural and creative fields. Additionally, built material and immaterial heritage can have significant roles: e.g., converting heritage sites and buildings through cultural projects or new functions, or capitalizing on specific traditions and place memory for local identity and place attachment. 

This Special Issue focuses on cultural approaches in connection with urban development and aims for contributions from various research fields. The volume invites researchers and academics worldwide to publish their original research articles on the following themes, but not limited to these:

- Cultural activities and their role in urban development;
- Cities (re)constructing their identity, relying mainly on culture and heritage;
- Culture as a relevant component of current spatial planning policies;
- Urban strategies, attracting creative people;
- Urban image, heritage and culture;
- Culture, local memory and local identities;
- Heritage and industrial culture;
- Subcultures within cities and processes of urban change.

Contributions have to follow one of the three categories (article/review/conceptual paper) of papers for the journal and address the topic of the Special Issue.

Dr. Andreea-Loreta Cercleux
Mr. Jörn Harfst
Dr. Oana-Ramona Ilovan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as conceptual papers are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Societies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • territorial identity construction processes
  • cultural and creative industries
  • urban regeneration
  • innovation
  • representations
  • subcultures
  • policy and planning
  • participatory approaches

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 201 KiB  
Editorial
Cultural Values, Heritage and Memories as Assets for Building Urban Territorial Identities
by Andreea-Loreta Cercleux, Jörn Harfst and Oana-Ramona Ilovan
Societies 2022, 12(6), 151; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12060151 - 1 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1279
Abstract
Urban culture has undergone significant transformations under the impact of globalization in the last decades [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

24 pages, 1245 KiB  
Article
The (Un)Changing Political Economy of Arts, Cultural and Community Engagement, the Creative Economy and Place-Based Development during Austere Times
by Daniel H. Mutibwa
Societies 2022, 12(5), 135; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12050135 - 26 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2071
Abstract
This article explores arts, cultural and community engagement (ACCE) in the context of enduring austerity in England. Working with a methodically crafted synthesis of theoretical perspectives drawn from (1) the critical political economy (CPE) tradition, (2) the sociology of cultural production, (3) cultural [...] Read more.
This article explores arts, cultural and community engagement (ACCE) in the context of enduring austerity in England. Working with a methodically crafted synthesis of theoretical perspectives drawn from (1) the critical political economy (CPE) tradition, (2) the sociology of cultural production, (3) cultural studies and critical strands of community development scholarship, and (4) pertinent discourses on the creative economy and place-based development, the article reviews the political, economic and institutional ecosystem within which a bottom-up approach to ACCE operates. Making use of ethnography for data-gathering, the article explores how three carefully selected case studies respond to the demands and pressures generated by, and associated with, corporate interest and top-down, policy-driven subsidy—including how such responses shape and position the work of the case studies in the contemporary creative economy and local place-based development. The article argues that ACCE contributes meaningfully to the development of self-governance and organic growth through egalitarian cross-sectoral alliances and cultural and social entrepreneurship. However, this happens only if the said ecosystem genuinely supports equality and social justice. Where such support is non-existent, established hierarchies perpetuate domination and exploitation. This stifles wider creative and cultural engagement on the terms of communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development)
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25 pages, 17011 KiB  
Article
Graffiti and Street Art between Ephemerality and Making Visible the Culture and Heritage in Cities: Insight at International Level and in Bucharest
by Andreea-Loreta Cercleux
Societies 2022, 12(5), 129; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12050129 - 14 Sep 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 9088
Abstract
The paper aims to analyze, on one hand, the evolution and interpretation of graffiti and street art phenomenon in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, and at international level, and on the other hand how this subculture is related to aspects of culture and heritage. [...] Read more.
The paper aims to analyze, on one hand, the evolution and interpretation of graffiti and street art phenomenon in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, and at international level, and on the other hand how this subculture is related to aspects of culture and heritage. The analysis of the evolution followed by graffiti and street art in Bucharest is doubled by the investigation of the messages transmitted in relation to the national and local culture and history, as street art may be seen as an efficient tool contributing to local cultural identity building. The methods used rely on a complex approach, combining observation and photos from field research, documentation, and data collection from different organizations and online communities. Street art works have various positive effects on the urban landscape, including in relation to culture and heritage in time. The results demonstrate that in Bucharest, street art contributes to highlighting mainly the key-moments and the personalities in culture and history that contribute to shaping a part of cultural identity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development)
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19 pages, 2824 KiB  
Article
Soviet Heritage(scape) in Sillamäe: Documenting the Potential in an Emerging Tourism Destination
by Saara Mildeberg and Jaanika Vider
Societies 2022, 12(5), 127; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12050127 - 12 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2564
Abstract
In 2014, the National Heritage Board of Estonia began the procedure for declaring the town centre of the former Soviet secret uranium town of Sillamäe in Northeast Estonia a heritage conservation area. The process is expected to be finalised in 2023, making it [...] Read more.
In 2014, the National Heritage Board of Estonia began the procedure for declaring the town centre of the former Soviet secret uranium town of Sillamäe in Northeast Estonia a heritage conservation area. The process is expected to be finalised in 2023, making it the first area where Soviet architecture would be under protection in Estonia. By approaching the town theoretically and methodologically as a heritagescape where components of tangible landscape are used to create a distinct place of the past, looking at how the town’s official development policy relates to the existing representations of the past in the town’s memory institutions, and interviewing local stakeholders, this article provides a broader and more nuanced understanding of Sillamäe and its tourism potential. Sillamäe as heritagescape offers tourists the chance to experience a curated version of the Soviet era and contemplate on the legacy of nuclear industry, while remaining in the safety of a resort town in the periphery of the European Union. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development)
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21 pages, 3222 KiB  
Article
The Tourism Potential of the Jewish Cultural Heritage in Bucharest
by Elena Bogan
Societies 2022, 12(4), 120; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12040120 - 18 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2601
Abstract
The field of tourism includes its own heritage, through which it is possible to valorize those components of the cultural environment and of the cultural heritage that truly have a touristic valence. The urban interventions in Bucharest during the communist period affected many [...] Read more.
The field of tourism includes its own heritage, through which it is possible to valorize those components of the cultural environment and of the cultural heritage that truly have a touristic valence. The urban interventions in Bucharest during the communist period affected many central historical areas. However, a part of the Jewish architectural heritage continues to last, with the attention on it increasing in recent years with the awareness of its value. The aim of this study is to assess the tourist potential of the Jewish cultural heritage by using an index of tourist attractiveness and a set of values established as evaluation criteria; identifying the heritage values as well as the ways of its development and promotion within the cultural tourism in Bucharest, in the context of preservation, conservation and restoration; identifying new ideas, products or services, respectively improving existing ones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development)
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14 pages, 1246 KiB  
Article
Museums as a Means to (Re)Make Regional Identities: The Oltenia Museum (Romania) as Case Study
by Liliana Popescu and Claudia Albă
Societies 2022, 12(4), 110; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12040110 - 29 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2666
Abstract
In recent decades, ever more museums have begun to put a new emphasis on the education of the public, playing an important role in creating national or regional identities. This paper aims to assess the strategy chosen by the History Section of the [...] Read more.
In recent decades, ever more museums have begun to put a new emphasis on the education of the public, playing an important role in creating national or regional identities. This paper aims to assess the strategy chosen by the History Section of the Oltenia Museum in Craiova (Romania) to use knowledge, objects and narratives to create a sense of belonging and negotiate identities. Site visits, participant observations and discussions with museum curators, the analysis of texts and discourses were used in order to see if there is a master narrative related to regional identity and to determine the elements used to shape this identity. The results of this study point to the fact that there is an underlying master narrative of the exhibition, stressing the dominant understanding of Oltenia’s identity stemming mainly from cultural markers such as religion and language, while acknowledging wider European influences on the national and regional identity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development)
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18 pages, 2678 KiB  
Article
“From Beautification to Ennobling”: The Exterior Mural Mosaics from Suceava of the Socialist Era
by Ştefan Purici and Harieta Mareci Sabol
Societies 2022, 12(4), 107; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12040107 - 18 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1827
Abstract
The mosaic is one of the most durable monumental artworks, hence the belief in its permanence. It is resilient to shocks, abrasion, moisture, and frost, protecting, in turn, the walls it covers. These qualities made the mosaic one of interest to the communist [...] Read more.
The mosaic is one of the most durable monumental artworks, hence the belief in its permanence. It is resilient to shocks, abrasion, moisture, and frost, protecting, in turn, the walls it covers. These qualities made the mosaic one of interest to the communist authorities, who later considered it suitable for beautifying the exterior walls of various buildings. The article addresses the issue of the symbolic and identity aspect of art in the urban space. The authors discuss the exterior mural mosaics from Suceava, during the communist period, as an expression of the compromise between the ideological commands of the period and the neo-traditionalist and neo-folklorizing direction professed by the artists. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development)
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18 pages, 1180 KiB  
Article
Urban Image at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Case Study Novi Sad (Serbia)
by Tamara Lukić, Ivana Blešić, Tatjana Pivac, Milka Bubalo Živković, Bojan Đerčan, Sanja Kovačić, Marija Cimbaljević and Dajana Bjelajac
Societies 2022, 12(2), 59; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12020059 - 30 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3714
Abstract
The main aim of this paper is to examine how negative phenomena, such as a pandemic, can result in positive cultural shifts and an upgrade of the urban image. The research was conducted employing an in-depth interview approach at the end of 2021, [...] Read more.
The main aim of this paper is to examine how negative phenomena, such as a pandemic, can result in positive cultural shifts and an upgrade of the urban image. The research was conducted employing an in-depth interview approach at the end of 2021, based on a semi-structured protocol with 15 participants. The answers of the respondents are conditioned by the socio-demographic differences. They show the urban image and cultural opportunities of the city. The image of the city is changing under different cultural influences, which are caused by events in the region or globalization. The self-awareness of the history, tradition and heritage that the people of Novi Sad have should be nurtured in order to preserve the image of the city with the strength of the majority of the immigrant population. The title ‘European Capital of Culture’ has been well received, but its impact will be best seen at the end of the year. COVID-19The COVID-19 pandemic favored and popularized cycling, awakened environmental self-awareness and solidarity, brought culture to the streets and beautified the city’s image. Everything that could not be placed on the street, it was entered and placed in the virtual world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development)
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13 pages, 745 KiB  
Article
Hotel Naming in Russian Cities: An Imprint of Foreign Cultures and Languages between Europe and Asia
by Olga P. Kormazina, Dmitry A. Ruban and Natalia N. Yashalova
Societies 2022, 12(2), 58; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12020058 - 30 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2276
Abstract
Hotel naming can contribute to cultural exchange, and big countries boasting lengthy peripheries and sharp “cores” are suitable for studying this contribution. Foreign cultural and linguistic imprints in hotel names is studied in four big cities of Russia, namely Rostov-on-Don, Nizhniy Novgorod, Krasnoyarsk, [...] Read more.
Hotel naming can contribute to cultural exchange, and big countries boasting lengthy peripheries and sharp “cores” are suitable for studying this contribution. Foreign cultural and linguistic imprints in hotel names is studied in four big cities of Russia, namely Rostov-on-Don, Nizhniy Novgorod, Krasnoyarsk, and Vladivostok. It is established that the hotels with names bearing foreign-culture elements constitute up to 20–25% of all hotels in each given city. These elements can be linked to many, chiefly West European countries. The English foreign-language elements are the most common, whereas the French and Italian elements occur in subordinate numbers. The linguistic-cultural types of the hotel names are commonly toponyms and landscape-related symbols. The imprint of foreign cultures and languages in the hotel names diminishes together with the increase in distance from the western state border. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development)
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18 pages, 3284 KiB  
Article
Clash of Two Identities: What Happens to Industrial Identity in a Post-Industrial Society?
by David Bole, Peter Kumer, Primož Gašperič, Jani Kozina, Primož Pipan and Jernej Tiran
Societies 2022, 12(2), 49; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12020049 - 15 Mar 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3580
Abstract
This article examines the contemporary industrial semiotic landscape in the town of Velenje, Slovenia, to determine the (positive or negative) collective imaginaries and discourses about industry in the local community. To this end, the semiotic landscape is mapped for signs and symbols of [...] Read more.
This article examines the contemporary industrial semiotic landscape in the town of Velenje, Slovenia, to determine the (positive or negative) collective imaginaries and discourses about industry in the local community. To this end, the semiotic landscape is mapped for signs and symbols of past and present industry, 33 randomly selected short interviews are conducted to understand the residents’ attitudes towards industrial symbols and industrial development in general, and a content analysis of official strategic documents is conducted to determine how industry is represented by officials and whether there are efforts to reimage the town. We found that the industrial past and present are well represented by industrial symbols and are a matter of pride and collective identity for the residents. However, the industrial tradition is hardly represented in official documents: Influenced by the prevailing post-industrial discourses, local authorities have begun to construct new territorial identities in order to increase the town’s attractiveness and economic growth. Currently, both ideas seem to coexist in Velenje. We argue that industrial symbols can become a reference point to create an alternative perception of a modern consumer society based on past industrial values, such as collective well-being, solidarity, and equality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development)
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16 pages, 1504 KiB  
Article
Centralized Industrialization in the Memory of Places. Case Studies of Romanian Cities
by Radu Săgeată, Bianca Mitrică and Irena Mocanu
Societies 2021, 11(4), 132; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc11040132 - 29 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2765
Abstract
The paper highlights the impact of excessive industrialization during the centralized economy era on urban spatial identity, as well as the disruption of this identity through political-administrative decisions, a phenomenon characteristic of the Central and Eastern European region during the era of centralized [...] Read more.
The paper highlights the impact of excessive industrialization during the centralized economy era on urban spatial identity, as well as the disruption of this identity through political-administrative decisions, a phenomenon characteristic of the Central and Eastern European region during the era of centralized economies. The tendency to rebalance urban territorial systems is achieved through deindustrialization, together with reindustrialization and tertiarization. All these changes affect functionality, physiognomy as well as urban culture, and can be quantified through the changes in the memory of places. Urban toponyms related to industrialization are disappearing and are replaced by toponyms that illustrate the historical past of the city and, in general, its spatial identity. The paper aims to contribute to the development of research on the impact of oversized industrialization on the memory of places, in the context of the transition from industrial to service-based economies, a process that affected the states of the former Communist Bloc after 1990. Based on bibliographic sources and field research conducted between 2008 and 2020 in two cities in Romania (Bucharest, the country’s capital, and Galați, the largest river and seaport and the main centre of the steel industry in the country), we have evaluated quantitatively these changes with the help of indices resulting from the toponymic changes resulting from these processes. The study shows that the functional disturbances due to the oversized industrialization that characterized the communist period only managed to a small extent to affect the correlation between the spatial identity of the two cities and their toponymy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Culture, Heritage and Territorial Identities for Urban Development)
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