Reflections from an outsider – Older Women’s Cohousing (OWCH, Barnet, North London)

On 4 May I had my first ‘fieldwork’ experience in London, where I’m spending a few months as a visiting researcher from Barcelona. I attended a focus group organised by the OWCH research collective, of which LSE forms part, with recent residents of the Older Women’s Cohousing Project (OWCH) in Barnet, North London. This workshop is one of four participative research sessions funded by an Averil Osborn award

The Barcelona Metropolitan Region: from non-existence to fame

A lot of attention is currently paid to the success or failure of European cities in terms of competitiveness. Barcelona is usually viewed as a successful city, performing well in terms of its business indicators and considered as an international cultural reference and an attractive location for creative and knowledge workers. Some authors attribute this success to the good job that the city has done in promoting the Barcelona brand. On the contrary, others highlight the importance of the joint effort that institutions, policies and actors have put forward in embracing coherent long-term objectives for the development of the city. Both arguments will be discussed in this paper as well as the challenges and opportunities that the city is facing today in terms of its future development

Residential opportunities and emancipation strategies in Spain

Different events in the life course of individuals are normally associated with specific residential choices. In particular, this applies to the process of household formation which, from the residential perspective, involves moving from the parental house to another dwelling. Emancipation evidences the preferences of young people for a new habitat and is usually conditioned by two sets of variables: on the one hand, labour conditions (i.e. a permanent job, the amount of salary, etc.) and, on the other, the residential opportunities offered by the current market circumstances. Certainly, a secure occupation in the labour market facilitates the affordability of rent or mortgage payments. Besides, the better the position is, the broader the range of housing opportunities. However, the housing market situation and, therefore, the existence or not of available/affordable residential opportunities for new households might influence delays or earlier moves in the process of emancipation. This article will focus on the impact of a certain residential landscape dominated by owneroccupation and high rents and prices, the Spanish housing market, in the process of emancipation and residential decisions of young households. The hypothesis to be tested in this particular context refers to the effects of how scarce affordable residential opportunities have affected the process of young people emancipation. In particular, the recent growth of housing prices and rents together with the insufficient renting opportunities in the market will be analysed under the light of housing careers’ literature: the residential choice of young people is therefore understood as a combination of housing preferences of population and constraints imposed by the market. Finally, given the current deceleration of the Spanish housing market (i.e. less construction and lower housing prices growth rate) and the changing macroeconomic landscape, especially the hardening of the financial conditions, some hints about those recently emancipated will be offered

Repensant la governança de la creativitat a les ciutats

El context internacional afecta directament les estratègies urbanes de competitivitat: les polítiques tradicionals basades en la millora de les infraestructures i el conjunt de tangibles a la ciutat, s’han transformat en accions d’índole diversa d’estímul al voltant de la creativitat i el coneixement. Hi ha consens al voltant del retrocés de les polítiques top-down o de dalt a baix, en les agendes locals mentre que, de manera creixent, s’incorporen noves articulacions d’acció publicoprivada, on les iniciatives bottom-up o de baix a dalt, assumeixen un protagonisme rellevant. Simultàniament, es produeix l’emergència de nous actors en el procés d’intervenció i millora a les ciutats. Aquest article presenta aquesta transformació i procés al voltant de la creativitat com a eix vertebrador de la nova competitivitat urbana. Però, podem governar la creativitat? Podem fer d’una ciutat, un espai harmònicament creatiu? Consens i diàleg són pedres de toc de la nova governança: del reconeixement de les forces existents al territori i del diagnòstic compartit per tots els actors involucrats sorgeixen arguments per a una ciutat no només competitiva sinó també representativa del teixit socioeconòmic existent.El contexto internacional afecta directamente a las estrategias urbanas de competitividad: las políticas tradicionales basadas en la mejora de las infraestructuras y el conjunto de tangibles en la ciudad se han transformado en acciones de índole diversa de estímulo alrededor de la creatividad y el conocimiento. Existe consenso alrededor del retroceso de las políticas top-down, o de arriba abajo, en las agendas locales mientras que, de manera creciente, se incorporan nuevas articulaciones de acción público-privada, donde las iniciativas bottom-up, o de abajo arriba, asumen un protagonismo relevante. Simultáneamente se produce la emergencia de nuevos actores en el proceso de intervención y mejora en las ciudades. Este artículo presenta esta transformación y proceso alrededor de la creatividad como eje vertebrador de la nueva competitividad urbana. Sin embargo, ¿podemos gobernar la creatividad? ¿Podemos hacer de una ciudad un espacio armónicamente creativo? Consenso y diálogo son piedras de toque de la nueva gobernanza: del reconocimiento de las fuerzas existentes en el territorio y de la diagnosis compartida por todos los actores involucrados surgen argumentos para una ciudad no sólo competitiva sino también representativa del tejido socioeconómico existente.The international context directly affects urban strategies for competitiveness: traditional policies based on the improvement of infrastructure and the tangibles in the city have become actions of various types for stimulation based around creativity and knowledge. There is consensus on the decline of top-down policies in local agendas, while new joint public-private actions, in which bottom-up initiatives play a crucial role, are increasingly being incorporated. New actors in the process of intervention and improvement in cities are simultaneously emerging. This article presents this transformation and process based around creativity as the backbone of the new urban competitiveness. But can we govern creativity? Can we make a city a harmoniously creative space? Consensus and dialogue are touchstones of the new governance: arguments for a city that is not only competitive but also representative of the existing socio-economic fabric arise from recognition of the forces existing in the territory and of the diagnosis shared by all the stakeholders

Creative Industries

This journal welcomes contributions exploring the intrinsic features of the field of creative industries and activities of entrepreneurs who use creativity as the basis of their work; analyses of literature concerning evolutionary developments in companies and their adaptations linked to the management of creativity; and, finally, reviews of books in cutting-edge research on the evolution of the creative enterprise

The Generation of value in Urban Spaces

The transformation of capitalism over the centuries has assigned a variety of roles to the city as a place to attract economic activity and produce wealth. The third wave of globalization is driven by the knowledge economy, where creativity and talent are generators of innovation and urban competitiveness. In this context, the ability of cities to produce jobs and economic growth relies on increasing the number of areas that are attractive for the location of high added-value activities and for talent to settle in. The scope of internationalization, interrelation and interdependence of the different dimensions of globalization – that is, economic, environmental, social and cultural – is larger than ever in the XXIth century, as the accompanying digital revolution contributes to increasing global connectivity. It is in cities where the positive aspects of globalization, such as the creation of jobs or increasing well-being of citizens, take place. However there are also negative conditions. For instance, the economic decline of some areas as capital flows towards more profitable ventures elsewhere, the diminishing power of national and local governments to regulate economic affairs in isolation from other stakeholders, and the loss of local diversity and increase in societal inequality. The 2020 pandemic is becoming an exceptional example of how globalization connects the different parts of the world, in this case with very negative consequences

‘Co-operate not speculate’, -London Co-operative Housing Group

Amidst a festive environment, the report ‘Co-operate not speculate’, by the Co-operative Housing Group, was presented on the 24th May at Coin Street Neighbourhood centre. It was festive because those people attending the presentation were celebrating the validity of coops as a housing alternative for Londoners. As it became clear from the start, either people attending the event were already living in coop housing or such was their aim

Construyendo la Barcelona creativa: nuevos autores, nuevas estratégias

Barcelona está en el punto de mira internacional. La ciudad que triunfó con la organización de los Juegos Olímpicos en el año 1992 quiere ser hoy una ciudad creativa del siglo XXI. Para ello hace falta propiciar las condiciones que contribuyan a generar un discurso compartido sobre la capacidad de Barcelona para convertirse en una ciudad atractiva para el talento creador y también para las empresas. Tanto el reconocimiento del sustrato histórico-económico inicial como punto de partida hacia la ciudad creativa, junto con el papel motor de la cultura en la generación de un peculiar y distintivo bagaje hacen de Barcelona una ciudad diferente. Sin embargo, esto no es suficiente. La participación de todos los actores alrededor de una estrategia compartida se convierte en Barcelona en el mayor reto de futuro así como la minimización de los efectos negativos que inevitablemente acompañan al éxito. Empresas, instituciones y ciudadanía constituyen el mejor activo de la ciudad: es necesario aunar esfuerzos y aprovechar los efectos que se generan entre ellos. El consenso y la participación van más allá de meras utopías, siendo imprescindibles para la ciudad del mañana. La iniciativa pública ejerce el liderazgo en Barcelona: el surgimiento de puentes conectores entre necesidades de los sectores creativos con los mecanismos de intervención pública es, sin lugar a dudas, la mejor garantía de éxito

Towards the Creative and Knowledge Economy: Analysing Diverse Pathways in Spanish Cities

Until 2007, many Spanish cities developed ambitious policies and programmes to foster the creative economy in a context of economic expansion mainly driven by the growth of the real estate sector. The goal was common but the means were considerably diverse. Currently, the development of creative sectors and the emergence of new economic activities in Spain have to cope with the deep economic recession affecting the country: given the considerably different specializations and prospects of employment creation, cities’ strategies differ from one to the next. In this paper, these differences are explored through the analysis of four Spanish cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia. First, we analyse how different paths of industrialization and modernization paved the way for different forms of transition towards the creative economy. Secondly, we elaborate on how the local context, defined by the set of actors interacting and the existence of economic traditions, frames a specific vision on creative and knowledge industries. Finally, the paper indicates to what extent the development of the creative economy in the four Spanish cities depends on the combination of trajectories and disruptive changes