‘‘Capital of Culture - you must be having a laugh!” Challenging the official rhetoric of Liverpool as the 2008 European cultural capital’

Major cultural events are increasingly seen by local stakeholders as important opportunities to stimulate urban regeneration, city branding and economic development. The European Capital of Culture programme is a prominent example. Since 1985 over thirty cities have hosted the title and today it remains a highly sought-after prize. This paper analyses competing interpretations of the success of Liverpool's hosting of the European Capital of Culture in 2008. It unpacks contrasting views of Liverpool08, from the official triumphant message of urban regeneration and economic renaissance to more critical analyses that problematise important elements of the event and its social and spatial impacts. In so doing, it challenges the hyperbole of culture-led transformation to reveal different geographies of culture, different cultural experiences and different socio-economic realities; it also offers an additional cultural reading of Liverpool in 2008. Through the example of Liverpool this paper shows how local culture is politicised, manipulated and sanitised in order to stimulate urban regeneration and construct a spatial re-branding of the city.

De grands événements culturels sont de plus en plus perçus par les rentiers locaux comme des opportunités importantes pour stimuler la régénération urbaine, produire la devise des villes et le développement économique. L'initiative La Capitale Européenne de la Culture est un exemple proéminent. Depuis 1985, plus de trente villes ont accueilli le titre et maintenant il reste un prix largement recherché. Cet article analyse des interprétations en concurrence du succès de l'accueil de Liverpool de la Capitale Européenne de la Culture en 2008. Il déballe des vues contrastées de Liverpool08, du message officiel et triomphal de la régénération urbaine et de la renaissance économique à des analyses plus critiques qui problématisent des éléments importants de l'événement et ses impacts sociaux et spatiaux. De cette façon, il conteste l'hyperbole de la transformation menée par la culture pour révéler des géographies différentes de la culture, des expériences différentes de la culture et des réalités socioéconomiques différentes; il offre aussi une interprétation culturelle différente de Liverpool en 2008. Au travers de l'exemple de Liverpool cet article montre comment la culture locale est politisée, manipulée et aseptisée pour stimuler la régénération urbaine et construire un relookage spatial de la ville.

Cada vez más, los inversores locales vean a los eventos culturales como oportunidades importantes para estimular regeneración urbana, el desarollo económico y la branding a una ciudad. El Capital Europeo de Cultura es un ejemplo prominente. Desde 1985, más que treinta ciudades han presentado el título y hoy sigue siendo un premio deseable. Este papel se analiza interpretaciones competitivos del éxito del Capital Europea de Cultura 2008 en Liverpool. Se deshace las perspectivas opuestas del Liverpool08, del mensaje triunfante de regeneración urbana y renacimiento económico, a analices críticos que problematizan elementos importantes del evento y sus impactos sociales y espaciales. Al hacer esto, se cuestiona el hipérbole de la transformación cultural para revelar geografías diferentes de cultura, experiencias culturales diferentes y realidades diferentes socio-económicas; también ofrece un entendimiento cultural adicional de Liverpool en el 2008. Através el ejemplo de Liverpool, este papel demuestra como la cultura local está politizada, manipulada, y desinfectado para estimular regeneración urbana y construir una nueva branding de la ciudad.

Sexing up the city in the international beauty contest: the performative nature of spatial planning and the fictive spectacle of place branding

This paper responds to recent calls for more academic research and critical discussion on the relationship between spatial planning and city branding. Through the lens of Liverpool, the article analyses how key planning projects have delivered major transformations in the city's built environment and cultural landscape. More specifically, in concentrating on the performative nature of spatial planning it reveals the physical, symbolic and discursive re-imaging of Liverpool into a 'world class city'. Another aspect of the paper presents important socioeconomic datasets and offers a critical reading of the re-branding in showing how it presents an inaccurate representation of Liverpool. The evidence provided indicates that a more accurate label for Liverpool is a polarised and divided city, thereby questioning the fictive spectacle of city branding. Finally, the paper ends with some critical commentary on the role of spatial planning as an accessory to the sophistry of city branding.

Architecture and Construction Management at Queens University Belfast:Regional Cultural Centre

The Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny is a new 2000sqm arts center containing theatre, galleries, workshops and ancillary offices. The site is set back from the street, on high ground with good views. The form and envelope of the building was derived from geometrically connecting the site with the town’s two other main public buildings, the Cathedral (1901) and new Civic Offices (2002, also designed by MacGabhann Architects). This geometrical connection or vectors informed the geometry and shape of the building. This urban matrix of geometrically connecting three corner stones of society, namely the ecclesiastical headquarters, the administrative head quarters and the art centre helps to improve the town planning and urban design of the disparate and chaotic development that Letterkenny has become.
The large cantilever, which houses a 300sqm gallery, is aligned towards the Civic Offices, marks the entrance, and signifies a change of direction of the pedestrian route past the building, like a modern day obelisk.
The circulation routes and stairs internally provide views towards the civic offices and cathedral, thus reinforcing the connection between the three buildings and helps visitors make some sense of Letterkenny as an urban center. The main stairs and vertical circulation are contained behind the large glazed foyer, which is framed to be viewed externally like a proscenium stage, with visitors to the building passively acting their routes through the building.

The Cultural Heritage of Pilgrim Itineraries: The Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago comprises a lattice of European pilgrimage itineraries which converge at Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. This Working Paper introduces the historical and contemporary representation of these routes as a heritage complex that is imagined and codified within varied cultural meanings of a journey undertaken. Particular attention is given to the Camino Frances and the Via de la Platawhich contrast as mature and formative pilgrimage settings. Within this spatial sphere, the analysis deals with the Camino de Santiago as official heritage, as development instrument, as civil society, and as personal experience. The paper concludes by critically reviewing a previous conceptualisation of pilgrim route-based tourism, derived from fieldwork completed in 1994. Some substantive additions to that model are then advanced which arguably fit better with the many context changes that have occurred over the past two decades.

Portuguese newspapers’ front-page and the coverage of European Cultural Capital: Porto 2001 and Guimarães 2012

Portugal hosted in the last thirteen years, two editions of the event European Cultural Capital; this paper intends to illustrate the coverage that Portuguese newspapers (daily newspapers Público, Diário de Notícias, Correio da Manhã and Jornal de Notícias, a weekly newsmagazine Visão and a weekly newspaper Expresso) made, through referrals in front-page and respective developments within the editions, to each of the events and that allows us to define the main moments that marked each of them, patterns of action, the major players, planning and programming types. The European Cultural Capital project elects, from year to year, cities of different EU member states with the main goal of “contributing to bring together the Europe´s people" (words of Mélina Mercouri, Greek Minister of Culture who, in 1985, proposed the launch of this initiative) and encouraging the elected urban space to present new cultural paradigms. In the genesis of this model is the cultural decentralization’s vector, a possibility to medium-sized cities of funding public works, restoring heritage and promoting themselves in touristic terms, of giving visibility to cities away from cultural and creative industries’ major distribution centers. A crucial factor to achieve this goal is media coverage. This paper outline the information that the Portuguese press ran over the two years that elapsed the latest editions of the European Cultural Capital in Portugal, namely that media coverage have deviated from the disclosure of the events’ schedule to suggest itineraries of visit and little or not even question the role that cities, promoting such initiatives, have as places of innovation in terms of cultural policies, artistic production and innovation, in urban and environmental regeneration, in economic revitalization, in training and creating new artists and new audiences and in boosting the confidence of local communities. The content analysis performed to articles shows how press is essential to the promotion of cities as cultural/touristic destinations as it stimulates consumption among residents and attracts visitors, with the possible dire consequence of turning the cultural journalist into an agent of touristic instead of cultural promotion.

Newspaper coverage impact on cultural events: Porto 2001 and Guimarães 2012: European Cultural Capitals

Artigo baseado na comunicação proferida no 1st International Symposium on Media Studies, realizado na Akdeniz Universitesi Yayınları, Antalya, Turquia, 21-23 de novembro de 2013

Study of Load Curves Concerning the Influence of Socioeconomic and Cultural Issues

The increase of electricity demand in Brazil, the lack of the next major hydroelectric reservoirs implementation, and the growth of environmental concerns lead utilities to seek an improved system planning to meet these energy needs. The great diversity of economic, social, climatic, and cultural conditions in the country have been causing a more difficult planning of the power system. The work presented in this paper concerns the development of an algorithm that aims studying the influence of the issues mentioned in load curves. Focus is given to residential consumers. The consumption device with highest influence in the load curve is also identified. The methodology developed gains increasing importance in the system planning and operation, namely in the smart grids context.

A technology diffusion perspective of Enterprise Resource Planning across European Small and Medium Enterprises: from determinants to Use to Value

Tese apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Doutor em Gestão de Informação

Understanding the Cultural Health Beliefs in Diabetes Education Amongst the Aboriginal Population within a City in the Southern Region of Ontario

This study examined the cultural health beliefs in diabetes education amongst the Aboriginal population within a city in Southern Ontario. The purpose was to contribute to the development of a culturally relevant diabetes handbook as well as to delivery styles within current diabetes education programs. To this end, a focus group was conducted with Aboriginal men and women between the ages of 18-70 years with type 2 diabetes. Participants were recruited from 2 Aboriginal community centres and an Aboriginal health centre in a city in Southern Ontario. Themes were drawn from the analysis of the focus group transcripts and combined with the findings from the research literature. The major themes that merged were drawn from Eurocentric and Aboriginal theories. The results were a set of recommendations on the type of format for diabetes educational programs such as traditional group activities, variety of electronic format, and culture specific educational resources. The emergent results appear to provide some important insights into program planning for diabetes education centres within Aboriginal communities.

Análisis de la incorporación del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial en el Ordenamiento Territorial. Una propuesta de mecanismos de diálogo e inclusión para el caso de la Semana Santa de Popayán

Presenta el análisis de la incorporación de una práctica cultural declarada Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial (PCI) de la Humanidad en las estructuras formales del ordenamiento territorial. Analiza también la necesidad de reconocer una serie de valores que la comunidad le ha otorgado a la práctica y que soportan la articulación con el ordenamiento territorial, pasando por los beneficios económicos, políticos y sociales que traería este proceso.

La resignificación cultural mediante la acción colectiva frente a la expansión urbana. Un estudio diagnóstico sobre la problemática del territorio del cabildo indígena muisca-bosa periodo 1999-2013

El propósito del presente estudio diagnóstico, es el de analizar el proceso de reconstrucción de la identidad del Pueblo Indígena Muisca de la Localidad de Bosa, en la ciudad de Bogotá D.C desde el año de 1999 hasta el 2013. Este diagnóstico tiene como punto de partida, el análisis de la pérdida del territorio ancestral por parte de esta comunidad de indígenas urbanos, debido a los proceso de expansión y de urbanización legales e ilegales que tienen lugar en el territorio. Con base en el análisis de los anteriores fenómenos, se estudian las características principales de las comunidades e individuos indígenas presentes en las ciudades, y los retos que enfrentan las instituciones oficiales en materia de desarrollar políticas de reconocimiento con base en modelos de planificación indígena.

Modelo de Planeación Participativa para la construcción de la política cultural de Cajicá

Consiste en el diseño de un modelo de participación política para planear la política cultural de Cajicá, que identifique las necesidades de los actores sociales. Específicamente se diseñará un proceso de planeación participativa con los actores políticos y sociales de Cajicá, el cual tendrá como resultado la formulación del plan decenal de cultura municipal.

Estágio no escalão de iniciados (sub-15) no clube atlético e cultural 2010-2011

RESUMO: O Clube Atlético e Cultural (C.A.C.), apesar de ser relativamente recente, é reconhecido como um Clube Desportivo de formação de atletas de referência na zona de Lisboa. O seu pico de reconhecimento e a sua maior “montra” de formação é sem dúvida o Torneio Internacional da Pontinha (escalão Sub-13), onde é palco de jogos durante 4 dias entre os maiores clubes nacionais, bem como, alguns clubes mundialmente conhecidos. Como prova desse facto, se analisarmos alguns jogadores de elite profissional, têm no seu percurso de formação o C.A.C. como instituição representada. O relatório que de seguida se apresenta, surge no âmbito do estágio de Mestrado em Treino Desportivo e pretende divulgar todas as decisões, acções e reflexões subjacentes ao Treino Desportivo de jovens jogadores. O contexto onde foi realizado foi na equipa de Iniciados “A” (Sub-15), que disputou o Campeonato da Divisão de Honra da Associação Futebol de Lisboa. O relatório encontra-se estruturado do geral para o particular, estando dividido em três tipos de planificação: (1) Planificação Conceptual – na qual abrange uma análise ao Clube em questão, o seu contexto, os seus recursos e os vários constrangimentos. Compreende ainda um estudo prévio de situações anteriores, leia-se, épocas anteriores, bem como, a formação da equipa e dos seus jogadores, em função dos objectivos traçados e assumidos no inicio da época desportiva. Integra também a preparação de todo o período Pré-Competitivo e o recurso a meios de observação e análise visando a melhoria de todo o processo de planeamento do treino. (2) Planificação Estratégica – Esta prevê todas as acções que dizem respeito ao Período Competitivo da equipa, como por exemplo a recolha de dados tanto da nossa equipa como dos adversários, a antecipação dos graus de dificuldade dos nossos adversários, o planeamento mais operacional (Microciclos) e a escolha de estratégias consoante os diferentes adversários e por fim, as reflexões necessárias entre os vários intervenientes no processo. (3) Planificação Táctica – Por fim este tipo de planificação abarca todas as acções, decisões e reacções nos momentos que antecedem o jogo, no momento em que este decorre e ainda após este terminar. Em suma, o relatório pretende expor toda a preparação de uma equipa ao longo de uma época desportiva, visto de uma perspectiva das funções de um treinador principal. ABSTRACT: The Clube Atlético e Cultural (C.A.C.), although relatively recent, is recognized as a reference club in youths training in the Lisbon area. The peak recognition and more “showcase” training ins undoubtedly the Torneio Internacional da Pontinha (Under-13), which is host to games during four days among the biggest national clubs, as well as some world-renowned clubs. As proof thereof, if we look at some elite professional players, have in their educational path C.A.C. represented as an institution. The report that presents itself, appears in the stage of Master of Sports Training and intends to disclose all the decisions, actions and thoughts behind the Sports Training of young players. The report is structured from general to particular, being divided into three types of planning: (1) Conceptual Planning - which includes an analysis on the club in question, its context, its resources and various constraints. It also includes a previous study of past situations like earlier seasons, as well as the formation of the team and its players, according to the objectives and commitments outlined in the beginning of the season. Also includes the preparation of all pre-competition period and the use of means of observation and analysis aimed at improving the entire process of planning the training. (2) Strategic Planning - This provides all the activities that concern the competitive period of the team, such as collecting information both from our team as well as opponents, anticipating the degree of difficulty of our adversaries, the more operational planning (microcycles) and the choice of strategies depending on different opponents and finally the necessary reflections between the various actors in the process. (3) Tactical Planning - Finally this type of planning includes all actions, decisions and reactions in the moments before, during and even after the game. To resume, the report seeks to expose all the preparation of the team throughout a sports season, by the perspective of the functions of a head coach.