Cultural Quarters and Urban Transformation: International Perspectives

This book explores the issues and international trends of cultural development and cultural sustainability in cities and regions of Europe and USA. Who and what is cultural development of cities for? To what extent is the built environment a key conveyor of the cultural image of a city? These are questions addressed in this book, including discussions and case studies on cultural quarters and culture-led regeneration in urban settings. The focus is on cultural development and cultural sustainability as an international trend in cities and regions. Case studies include environments in Stockholm, London, Berlin, Glasgow, Ferrara, Poznan, Visby among other cities of differing scales. The book has been written for the purpose of crossing the boundaries of disciplines such as urban planning, building conservation, architecture and human geography.
Mattias Legnér, PhD in History, is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Integrated Conservation at Gotland University in Visby, Sweden, where he teaches and is head of science at the department. Having been a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University, Legnér is the author of, among other topics, papers on the challenges of reusing historic buildings in urban development, most recently the report Historic Rehabilitation of Industrial Sites (2009).
Davide Ponzini, PhD, is Assistant Professor in Urban Planning at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. His research activity focuses the role of cultural policies in urban transformation and local development, and urban planning and policy tools. He was visiting scholar at Yale University, Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University. Author of Il territorio dei beni culturali (2008), regarding the privatization of cultural heritage in Italy, and of papers in Italian and international scientific journals.