Creation of cultural spaces – modeling strategies of cross-sector and inter-departmental partnerships

Abstract

Goal and objectives of the dissertationGoalThe goal of this research was to construct two models of cultural space that would encompass its cultural and tourist purpose. Cultural purpose refers to satisfying the cultural needs and fostering the local creativity of the community. Tourist purpose refers to tourism presentation and creation of tourist offer, with special respect for local context and capacities.The basic structural elements of the models constructed would be universal and could be adapted for other urban contexts. The first model refers to public-civil partnership in the field of culture and the second model refers to public-civil-private partnership, where the field of culture is accompanied by the fields of tourism and urban planning.Objectives:* to construct new models based on partnerships between various stakeholders from public, private and civil sphere* to create a base for creative tourism offer based on contemporary local culture* to approach tourism from a more humanistic side - as an interaction between visitors and hostsMethodologyThe empirical part of the paper is placed in the framework of qualitative research that involves the phenomenological or interpretive research philosophy. For the purposes of this study, methods of case study and modeling were used. Case study was considered an appropriate method since it 'involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence' (Robson, 2002: 178). As the proposed analysis aimed at comparing the structure of two or more phenomena, three already existing cultural spaces (WUK, Vienna, Austria; Metelkova, Ljubljana, Slovenia and Pogon, Zagreb, Croatia) were deconstructed to the following structural elements:* key idea on which the cultural space was established,* common goal for establishing partnership,* organizational structure for partnership,* decision making and management,* internal resource analysis (human, technical, spatial and financial resources).After the deconstruction, common denominators were defined, followed by a synthesis that allowed the new management model to be created. For estimating the relation between tourism, culture and urban planning (and renewal), data was collected by means of interviews with general managers of those institutions. In order to transfer interview transcripts into usable information and conclusions, an open coding was used.ResultsPartnerships, as a strategic tool in creation of cultural spaces, are important for several reasons. First, it comes to the creation of new organizational forms where they can produce new services, products and infrastructure, which together create new value for the community (W addell & Brown, 1997: 3). Second, benefits for the city increase with its attractiveness - attracting visitors, contributing to the formation of a local character and distinctiveness of the city through culture, as well as creating the image of the city, according to the bottom up principle. Third, benefits for citizens reflect in accessible cultural facilities for cultural production and presentation, treating culture as a public good that meets their cultural needs and brings the opportunity to connect with cultural creation (Veselinovic, 2012: 12). Fourth, those places can contribute to strengthening of social ties through cooperation and solidarity, as well as generate a sense of belonging to the community (Mercer, 2009).Theoretical conclusionsTheoretical contribution refers to the proven significance of cross-sector and inter-departmental partnerships in the creation of cultural spaces. In the aspect of inter-departmental cooperation, it has been concluded that cooperation would rather be established on the lower levels of certain departments (culture, tourism, architecture, urban planning) and that the 'bottom up' initiatives will prompt the implementation and strengthen the effects of partnerships in practice. …