In the last 20 years urban regeneration strategies in many post-industrial cities in Europe have inaugurated new cultural and artistic facilities on the place of abandoned places – former military bases, old factories, flour-mills, old ships, local train stations, ruined industrial sites. These urban spaces were isolated from the rest of the city and generated a lot of economic and social problems, related to poverty, insecurity, low quality of life, pollution, economic inefficiency, pollution, etc. The energy to transform post-industrial abandoned regions and buildings in many cases came from the local communities, young people, artistic cooperatives and the civil society sector. Gradually, arts, culture and creativity are more and more considered in the urban regeneration strategies of many cities worldwide.
The main common aims of such regeneration and transformation strategies are:
Driving factors influencing the transformation process
The transformation of abandoned industrial buildings and spaces into new cultural and artistic premises has unique characteristics in any individual case, related to the local uniqueness, historical facts, cultural context, and many others. Below are several common factors which influence the level of efficiency of the transformation process:
- The level of development and engagement of the civil society (third sector) in a country. In many cases inauguration of these buildings and spaces is a result of a pressure by a coalition of NGOs, young peoples’ movements, or local neighbourhood activism.
- Public leadership: the level of engagement of the local authority (municipality, city council, regional government body) for sorting out ownership and other legal aspect.
- Initiation of public dialogue. A wide consultation with inhabitants is required so that the public has a feeling of ownership on the space, and the transformation project is based on a wide participatory scheme.
- Collaboration between architects, city planners, designers and artists.
- Commitment between funders. Financial schemes for reconstruction and maintenance of the new centers are different, but evidences of long-term investment and support on a collaborative mode is an important factor for existence of the new centers.
- Networking. Collaboration and ongoing sharing within the cultural sector.
Involvement of artists, social movements and the civil society sector as a whole is a very important factor in starting the transformation process. The independent, non-profit sector is one of the pillars in any society and has to be actively involved in all phases - from policy planning, through decision making, realisation, implementation and evaluation of an urban transformation project. Industrial spaces tend, by nature, to be separated from existing residential and developed cultural civic areas of a city. Artists and NGO activists are usually the first to discover the potential of the abandoned industrial complexes and they start joined actions of occupying these buildings. By nature, NGOs tend to be well positioned to act in entrepreneurial initiatives that can move faster and at greater speed and flexibility than government organisations. Civil society sector is identified as the main driving force in this process also because of acquired knowledge of specific needs, problems and potentials of the society. This is why in most of the cases, public tenders for managing and running the transformed venues is won by NGOs (not only in the field of culture, but also other areas-social care, environment, health care, working with youth, children and women, etc.). Involvement of local communities and local neighbourhood is a very important factor for sustainability of these venues. Below are three prominent examples of the power of artists and NGOs in the “bottom-up” approach of urban transformation actions:
Metelkova is an internationally-renowned autonomous social and cultural center in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the “underground pulse” of Ljubljana. It is located on the site of former military barracks (the Slovenian headquarters of the Yugoslav National Army and was squatted September 1993. The space consists of seven buildings and 12,500m2 - making it a sort of “city within a city” - comprising a former prison (now Celica Hostel), several clubs, live music spaces, art galleries and artist studios. Metelkova has a very intensive programming and offers diverse events every day, having unique and unpredictable experience.
The Network of Metelkova, formed in 1990 consists of 200 partner organisations who got together to propose a new, creative, peaceful use for the former military barracks. In 1991, the network petitioned the newly independent Slovenian government asking the rights to the space. Favouring a car park or other new urban development over a rogue hippie commune, the City of Ljubljana decided in 1993 to demolish the old, unmaintained buildings. The Network of Metelkova and friends responded by squatting the site and creating 'Metelkova Mesto' - an independent (anti)cultural centre. Over 200 individuals got down to business creating living spaces, setting up concerts, exhibitions, readings and other events. Unable to extract the compound's new occupants, the city officials responded by cutting off the water and electricity to Metelkova Mesto and filing legal suits against its inhabitants. The new challenges only served to bolster the strength of the community, however, and Metelkova began to thrive more than ever before as a centre of cultural, political and artistic activity.
Since it was created in 1993, Metelkova has been in a constant status of uncertainty and survival, as well as political jockeying - constantly threatened by the lure of commercial development, neo-conservative politicians and internal problems within the 'autonomous zone. The endurance during the years was possible only through creativity, imagination, energy and determination of the many artists, cultural managers and NGO leaders, as well as the ongoing intensive programming. For years Metelkova hosted the only Women's Centre in Slovenia and is still today the only place in the country with community-run clubs for disabled people, gays and lesbians. Numerous campaigns against racism, domestic and institutional abuse have been organised and operated out of Metelkova.
A citizen initiative and young people’s assertiveness) was the reason for transforming a former slaughterhouse in an independent non-profit organisation in the hearth of Bremen, Germany. In 1978 young people squatter the building as part of ongoing efforts of different groups to look for places for cultural activities and spaces to meet and discuss. Today Kulturzentrum Schlachthof offers more than 200 events annually, attracting more than 120 000 visitors. Actions related to youth are still an important part of programming – organisation of an international youth theater festival, as well as numerous youth theater productions
Another interesting example is the abandoned Factory Rog (Tovarna Rog) in Ljubljana which in old times produced bicycles. In March 2006 a group of individuals started implementation of a new social program and opened an initiative for a temporary use of the factory in order to implement non-profit and non-incumbent operations. This is not a traditional occupation of space, but only a temporary change alteration of its purposes. 7000 square meters, owned by the Municipality of Ljubljana has already been left to decay for 15 years. Young artists organised an informal network to initiate debates around the use of the empty space for cultural and social content.
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Image: Metelkova mesto, Ljubljana, Slovenia
LabforCulture è un'iniziativa di partnership della Fondazione Culturale Europea. LabforCulture desidera ringraziare i propri finanziatori per il loro supporto.