São Paulo – Using the creativity of citizens, promoting their integration and circulation are some of the solutions to the problems of large, medium and small cities. In a lecture delivered last Tuesday evening (14th) at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo, the coordinator of the Cultural Economics course at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), Ana Carla Fonseca Reis, outlined the key elements for cities to grow and solve their problems with popular involvement. Approximately 50 people watched the presentation, including the Arab Chamber president Marcelo Sallum and former director Mário Rizkallah.
Some examples of creative cities presented by the public administrator and economist include London, in the United Kingdom, Barcelona, in Spain, and Ankara, in Turkey. In Brazil, she mentioned Paraty, in Rio de Janeiro, and Guaramiranga, in Ceará. “These are cities that have set out to innovate their reality and popular culture from the inside out, i.e. from within the city to other localities,” she said.
According to Reis, Guaramiranga, in Ceará, is a city that used to live off of coffee farming. As traditional families left the small town and growing competition from state capital Fortaleza as a tour destination, the city became threatened by mounting problems.
“However, they capitalized on their local culture of Northeastern musical rhythms; they have projects for developing young musicians; they host a jazz festival every year, during Carnival, of all times; and they have watched as their population soared from 5,000 to 15,000. Besides, they work in tandem with other nearby small towns,” she said.
“Cities can be creative regardless of their size, but those that wish to be or are creative often have clear-cut features: they innovate, for instance, by implementing a solid waste reuse system. They also value the connections between people. Whenever the people connect, they exchange ideas and experiences of their emotional ties with their cities or neighbourhoods; thereby, civil society participation increases. The third feature of these cities is that they value local culture and potential,” she asserted.
As case in points, she cited Peru, a country that has gone beyond its well-known tourist destinations such as Machu Picchu to tap into other aspects of its culture, such as cuisine. Ankara, in Turkey, has developed a project for local artisans to sell their items to tourists, and the government takes charge of shipping the product and insuring the purchase. Reis also mentioned object sharing in large cities, such as electric car rental in Lyon and Paris. “The culture of sharing, of having citizens use, but not own objects.”
In Brazil, Reis listed Paraty and Guaramiranga as the best examples of creative cities, but remarked that the concept is still met with challenges in the country. “They [the cities] don’t foster connections between their residents; they are still too divided into ‘ghettos.’ This remains a hurdle,” she claimed.
In terms of Arab cities, Reis cited Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which has a plan of integrating leisure, culture and work activities by 2030. Abu Dhabi’s population should double by then, and therefore, said Reis, the city is investing in transformation by integrating activities and inhabitants. As an example, she discussed museums designed by award-winning architects that are currently under construction in a designated area within the city.
Reis’ presentation is part of the Arab Chamber Lecture Cycle, held on a regular basis and covering myriad topics. The next guest will be the historian Demétrio Magnoli, who will tackle progress and challenges for Brazil and the Mercosur. The meeting with Magnoli is set to take place on November 18th.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
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