CREATIVE CLUSTERS
The starting assumption of the project is that creativity can act as a driving force for economic development of small urban centres and not only of big cities. The objective is to promote the exchange of experiences and best practices and the proposal of policy recommendations and action plans related with creative clusters in low density urban areas. Under the theme creative clusters/cities, the main issues addressed are: creative clusters: diversifying local economic base; creative entrepreneurs and talented people: attraction and retaining; promoting the creative city: a new range of facilities and infrastructures; others (branding the creative place; events and cultural agendas as catalysts; local creative education environments).
The main added value-added that the work of the Creative Clusters network can produce is to transfer the “creative city model” (too much focused on big and middle-sized metropolis – Barcelona, Dublin, Singapore, etc) to low density urban areas. In other words, to transfer a range of so far considered urban attributes (accessibility, cultural life, technological facilities, competitive clusters, global networking, etc.) to middle-sized and small towns.
This is relevant at European Union (EU) level because we are going to explore the capacity of the creative issue to impulse a sort of leapfrog in terms of social and economic development for small and midsize towns as well as an excellent opportunity to re-think rural development.
The project is funded by the ERDF in the frame of the URBACT II Programme.
Participating cities and organisation in the CREATIVE CLUSTERS network:
Total budget of the project: 634 337 EUR.
Duration: November 2008 – May 2011
The Joint Venture of the HBHE and Grants Europe helps Municipality of Hódmezővásárhely in drafting the Local Action Plan and in general management issues.