A curated collection of articles about Cultural Districts by GCDN

by Gregorio Scarpella and Stephanie Fortunato
Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN)

The Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) is pleased to share this curated collection of articles about cultural districts with the Mastering Public Space community of readers.
GCDN is an international federation committed to improving the quality of urban life through the arts, culture, and creative industries. The membership network fosters cooperation and knowledge-sharing among those responsible for creative and cultural districts and engages diverse leaders in culture and in urban development through convenings, research, content creation, and collaborations in order to inform global, local, and sectoral agendas.
Sparked as much by a series of conversations with these cultural leaders as growth in the field, the Global Cultural Districts Network was established in 2013 as an initiative of AEA Consulting. The network has become a trusted forum for those responsible for cultural districts to meet and discuss common issues.
At the heart of the GCDN is the long-term relationship between culture and communities in cities. Through strategic partnerships, such as the relationship with City Space Architecture, GCDN is able to extend opportunities for its members to exchange ideas about public space, build capacity and skills, and deepen their working knowledge of the field.
We will use this collection to share commissioned research and original content produced by GCDN and its members about the intersecting concerns of cultural districts and public spaces. The collection focuses mainly on the animation of public spaces, strategies for public programming, and other aspects of public space stewardship. Topics reflect the broad interests of GCDN members.

About Cultural Districts

Cultural districts are places characterized by a high concentration of cultural activities and organizations. Some are centuries old but over the last two decades, the number and profile of cultural districts have grown rapidly all around the world. Whether old or new, planned or “naturally occurring,” cultural districts are a global phenomenon. Successful cultural districts create, maintain, and nurture the conditions in which culture and creativity thrive, adding significantly to the quality of urban life.
Cultural districts are a broadly urban phenomenon, and cities and their populations are ever-changing. As they grow, social paradoxes, like welcoming new residents with diverse cultural backgrounds and traditions while preserving meaningful local heritage sites and keeping an aging population active and a mobile population rooted, will increasingly take center stage. All across the globe, cities are recognising the importance of creating and maintaining neighborhoods and places where people are able to live, work and play. Cultural districts have the power to reshape the way we experience our cities: they can remake streetscapes and improve public safety, draw in visitors, enhance residents’ quality of life, and enliven public spaces.

What can readers interested in public space hope to learn from the GCDN collection?

By their very nature, the public spaces located within cultural districts can serve as a portal to understanding how arts, culture, and creativity contribute to urban life. These flagship spaces, located in-between buildings dedicated to culture and commerce, are a highly visible platform where communities come together. Notably, in the post-Covid era, community and economic recovery plans increasingly include a call for collaborations with artists, creative practitioners, cultural organizations, and creative businesses in an effort to catalyze resiliency, broaden equitable access to public spaces and provide new pathways to a rich diversity of artistic and creative expression for various communities. The urbanists and cultural planners responsible for these spaces are earnest in their search for cross-cultural experiences, new, more expansive audiences and markets, and increased revenue opportunities.

Explore the curated collection on Cultural Districts by GCDN.