Context 156 - September 2018

52 C O N T E X T 1 5 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 Book reviews Creativity and culture Culture: Urban Future – global report on culture for sustainable urban development UNESCO (no author or editor cited), 2016, 304 pages, ISBN978 9 231001 70 3 E-book available online on open access: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ images/0024/002459/245999e.pdf Culture: Urban Future was launched at the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development in Quito, Ecuador, in 2016. It is central to an ambitious vision, ascribed selectively to certain of the 2030 United Nations sustainable development goals (www.un.org/ sustainabledevelopment/sustainable- development-goals/; notably goal 11), that positions the role of culture, from cultural heritage to cultural and creative industries, as both an enabler and driver of the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development. In her foreword, Irina Bokova, director-general of Unesco, writes: ‘We must strengthen the cultural assets of cities, the heritage that provides a sense of meaning and identity to their inhabitants, and the creative opportunities that enhance... [their] vitality, liveability and prosperity’. The main text champions cultural expressions as giving ‘people the opportunity to identify themselves collectively, to read the traces of history, to understand the importance of traditions for their daily life, or to enjoy beauty, harmony and artistic endeavour’; affirms that ‘these are fundamental social and human needs that must be addressed in the context of urban development processes, not as optional extras’; and poses the core question: ‘How do we translate these realities into effective policies in sustainable urban planning?’ Part I of the report is divided into eight regional study areas, from Africa through territories of the former USSR, to Asia-Pacific and South America. Critiques include centralised planning and national policies where these inhibit local authorities from implementing context-specific strategies; and the absence of operational management plans for historic urban areas, effective development control systems, and land and building use definitions. Plaudits are accorded to democratisation processes, emerging forms of governance and citizen participation, and integrated approaches to urban conservation and regeneration (cited with reference to Europe); and the instrumental role of culture and heritage in reversing post-industrial decline and the recovery or reuse of industrial heritage, particularly for ‘creative activities’ (with reference to North America). Part II offers a thematic approach to the promotion of ‘culture for sustainable cities’, divided into: •• People: human-centred cities; inclusive cities; peaceful and tolerant societies; and creative and innovative cities •• Environment: human scale and compact cities; sustainable, resilient and green cities; inclusive public spaces; and safeguarding urban identities •• Policies: sustainable local development; enhanced rural- urban linkages; improved urban governance; and financing sustainable urban development. These sections all say the expected things using today’s fashionable words and are illustrated with numerous highly condensed case studies. They are carried forward to a summary of conclusions and recommendations that home in on concepts such as liveability, social cohesion, inclusion and urban resilience, all of which are represented as requiring a foundation based on culture and creativity. Missing, however, are inclusive definitions of either culture or creativity, both of which, implicitly throughout the text, reflect the elitist perceptions of academia, related professions and kindred interests. To define culture in terms of ‘beauty’, as the architect Renzo Piano does, is – to this reviewer at least – trite. At best, this positions culture at the periphery of the main thrust of the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals. In the heritage field, whereas the