Cultural creative industries are an emerging field which gained importance on the intangible nature of the subject both for the developed and developing economies. The post- industrial discussion on many developed countries, especially after the economic crisis, is very much related with the access of human factor, intangible assets, innovation aspect of the country. This chapter discusses the role of contemporary art market in urban transformation focusing on two examples from MENA region: Turkey and the UAE. The chapter furthermore discusses different kinds of cultural planning aspect using comparative analysis of major cultural cities Istanbul, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
TopDefinitions: Theoretical Background
We have experienced the information era, where most of the strategies developed also served the infrastructure of creative era, where the production and dissemination of knowledge is regulated in order to improve the traditional processes of manufacturing. This new era has put “the individual” as the producer and consumer, emphasizing recently “the personal choice” especially value added matters. The core of creativity has always been associated with culture and cultural industries relying on the transforming and distinguishing feature of cities where, with the migration demographics, more and more people start to reside.
The restructuring of post-industrial venues for artistic production (e.g., Tate Modern or Santralistanbul) branding a city on cultural experience (e.g., iamsterdam), creating a genre on TV serials (Turkish TV serials as number one export item among creative products) are facts far beyond high-brow and low-brow culture debate. Among the first actors defining the term creative industry, we can count Department Culture, Media, Sport of the UK; World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) from the intellectual property right perspective, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), European Union (EU) mentioning the economic importance of small firms in creative field on Lisbon Agenda and questions like how the growth of cultural and creative industries would be triggered or how culture as a catalyst for creativity and innovation will be mobilized have been asked. United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UNCTAD define cultural economy as such:
The ‘creative economy’ is an evolving concept based on creative assets potentially generating economic growth and development.
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It can foster income generation, job creation and export earnings while promoting social inclusion, cultural diversity and human development.
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It embraces economic, cultural and social aspects interacting with technology, intellectual property and tourism objectives.
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It is a set of knowledge-based economic activities with a development dimension and cross-cutting linkages at macro and micro levels to the overall economy.
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It is a feasible development option calling for innovative, multidisciplinary policy responses and inter-ministerial action.
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At the heart of the creative economy are the creative industries (Creative Economy, 2010, p. 18).
In 2008, despite the 12 per cent decline in global trade, world trade of creative goods and services continued its expansion, reaching US$592 billion and reflecting an annual growth rate of 14 per cent during the period 2002-2008. This reconfirms that the creative industries have been one of the most dynamic sectors of the world economy throughout this decade (Creative Economy, 2010, p. 128).