Scholarly record

ROLE OF CULTURAL BUILDINGS IN THE CITY

Eliza Owczarek

Abstract

Cultural buildings constitute a measure of attractiveness and potential in terms of tourism, as well as concerning being places of residence in European cities. When discussing the material value of cultural buildings we can assume that modern buildings, similarly to the greatest historical monuments of cities, can charm and delight visitors, in addition to constituting a driving force behind the economy. The perfect research criterion concerning the role of cultural buildings in the city, however, are the intangible values that are associated with their participation in the process of harmonious development or the preservation of the historical continuity of the urbanised landscape. Cultural buildings currently play the dominant role in the downtown areas of large cities. When studying the mental image of a downtown area, it would be difficult to imagine something different than a landscape of church towers, a series of museums, an opera house or theatre. Cultural buildings are thus an immanent part of the image of the contemporary urban centre. The sustainable development of cities, primarily metropolises, based on efforts towards their decentralisation, constitutes the basis for research focusing on what significance can cultural buildings have when used as tools in spatial planning strategies. Neo-liberal policy and efforts based on, for example, the transformation of post-industrial areas into cultural districts, not only change the face of decayed areas, but also aid in the establishment of equally important polycentric regions. An analysis of the centrogenic role of cultural buildings on the scale of the entire city makes it possible to think about the role of an individual building in relation to its immediate surroundings. 20 years have passed since the opening of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, whose bold form clearly departed from the past and has become a symbol of the provocation of progress. The dynamic development of the city or its part can be dialectically interpreted as the result of the popularity and attendance of a world-famous work of architecture. However, there exists the risk of serial recreation, or of attempts at copying buildings that are associated with economic success and which would be seen as a guarantee of bringing about said success. Dynamic economic development is the result of a series of efforts undertaken over the course of a number of years and applies to different sectors. A study of the latest European built projects demonstrates the complexity of the problem. An attempt at recreating the Bilbao Effect can lead to the establishment of identical images of cities without their own character or can be the source of an asymmetrical one, composed of the contrasts of the face of urban spaces.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2018v/6.4/s10.098

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