Creative cities plan lauded by consultant

Focus on a strong local identity, not a generic style, Glen Murray says.
SANDRA COULSON, Free Press Lifestyles Reporter 2005-06-10 01:42:08


While praising the recent report from London's Creative City task force, former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray had some warnings about the movement that has seen many cities around the world latch onto a new way of sustaining their economies.

Murray, now an urban consultant based in Toronto and Winnipeg, spoke yesterday to the Creative Cities conference in London -- a combined meeting of Investing in Children, Orchestras Canada and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.

Murray said a creative cities process needs to add value "monetarily, socially and culturally," achieve tangible results and reflect the identity, values and history of a city.

If it doesn't do those things, he said, "it's not truly a creative cities process."

London's report -- which was developed by a group of city hall politicians and staff, businesspeople, artists and arts administrators -- "is the best creative cities plan in Canada," Murray told the luncheon crowd of about 150.

He later said the report works because it links several seemingly separate areas, including retaining citizens, commercialization of research and the city's identity.

Murray said creative cities are about two types of culture: the "big C" culture of the arts and the "small c" culture of values, customs and behaviour.

"A creative city plan can't be the property of only the elite, because if values don't change in the community, your capacity to change doesn't," he said.

He pointed to years of changes that in recent years have boosted the fortunes of cities such as Reykjavik, Iceland, and Barcelona, Spain.

But he had little patience for comparisons he often hears to Bilbao, Spain, particularly its striking Guggenheim Museum. He said some cities have concluded having their own building designed by architect Frank Gehry would turn their fortunes around.

"The lesson of Bilbao isn't that Frank Gehry makes great buildings, which he does. The lesson of Bilbao is . . . if you build powerful, iconic architecture that comes from your community, that is challenging and different and remarkable, you'll capture people's attention," Murray said.





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