Place making taking place: the New Mill Town

• Traditionally, place making has been associated with specific settings, with functions that contribute to the uniqueness of the place, for spatial planning purposes and in projects that aim at upgrading or maintaining spaces. This focus on physical elements as end products, and experts as decision-makers, has been challenged by a democratic view, with active involvement of interested parties. The place is made sense of by those who use it, and place making is described as a collective effort and an empowering tool. We argue that top-down and bottom-up perspectives of place making constitute a continuum of exclusion, at one end, and inclusion of people at the other. Most places develop through a combination of top-down and bottom-up processes, with several actors involved who have multiple, often unspoken and even conflicting objectives and values. The study examines the interplay between exclusion and inclusion in place making and the challenges and opportunities associated with making multiple voices heard. The development of a cultural and creative center in southwest of Sweden constitutes the case study. The area has gone from an industrial community (mill town) to an international cultural environment and tourist attraction through decisions and actions that individuals, groups, businesses and public authorities have been part of in different phases. The methods are observations and interviews together with analysis of written historical and contemporary documents. The preliminary results indicate that inclusion works well in specific sectors and spaces, however, outside these, there is little inclusion, although there is benevolence and mutual dependence.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Social och ekonomisk geografi -- Kulturgeografi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Social and Economic Geography -- Human Geography (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Placemaking

inclusive place branding

bottom-up approach

top-down approach

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)