Author: Mulcahy, Kevin V.

Publication Year: 1981

Media Type: Book

Summary:

The purpose of this discussion is to examine the relationship between culture and the city. Local flavors of the arts are viewed in a more ideological vein by [the author] as he examines the historical relationship between culture and the cities.

Abstract:

The purpose of this discussion is to examine the relationship between culture and the city. This will involve looking at four topics:

1. The contributions that the arts make to the economic condition of cities.
2. The role that culture plays in defining the peculiar character of urban life.
3. The varieties of urban cultures.
4. Some recommendations for support by municipal governments of local cultural resources.

Culture will be discussed with reference to cities in general, although examples from particular cities will be used as often as possible. (p. 214).

Local flavors of the arts are viewed in a more ideological vein by [the author] as he examines the historical relationship between culture and the cities. [He] demonstrates the contributions that arts institutions make to the urban economy and environment and judges them to be invaluable resources meriting a status similar to national parks. As manufacturing sites shift to the urban periphery, cultural production and related services, such as retailing and tourism, emerge as ever more important factors in the urban economy. The Northeast, particularly New York City, is the prime example although [the author] gives considerable attention to Seattle, Los Angeles, and New Orleans as well. He goes on to say that for many cities - for example, Boston, Baltimore and Salt Lake City - the cultural quotient is often their main attraction. He further argues for the necessity of culture as a determinant of the quality of urban life. (General introduction, p. 5-6).

CONTENTS
Culture and the urban economy.
Culture and urban life.
The city as a cultural asset.
The varieties of urban culture.
Towards more liveable cities; some recommendations.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Creative Economies