Researchers from King’s College London visit Helsinki – India Education | Latest education news | Global Educational News
Dr. Jonathan Gross and Dr. Lucy McFadzean reflect on the World Cities Culture Forum Summit 2022 and a new research collaboration exploring the role of cultural policy in post-COVID urban futures.
female dancer with big hoop performing on stage at world cities cultural forum on black background
Performance at the World Cities Culture Forum Summit 2022 with a dancer from the Susanna Leinonen Company. Photo: City of Helsinki.
We recently visited Helsinki for the World Cities Culture Forum’s annual summit. It is a network of cultural leaders and policy makers from 40 cities around the world. We were there as part of the Creative Recovery: The Role of Cultural Policy in Shaping Post-COVID Urban Futures project in collaboration with the World Cities Culture Forum, involving King’s researchers from the Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries (CMCI). Department of Geography and Policy Institute.
COVID-19 has derailed many expectations of what the future will look like, especially in cities. Commuting has changed, many companies have been in trouble and inequality has increased. Creative Recovery explores the role of art and culture in post-Covid cities and “building better” urban centers. We know that art and culture play a decisive role in urban life. But their role in the post-pandemic world remains uncertain. This research aims to understand the role of cultural policy especially in the ongoing processes of urban regeneration and to help shape the future of cities after COVID.
At the summit, we met with leaders of the World Cities Culture Forum and representatives of cities and discussed pressing questions about urban regeneration, COVID cities and the future of culture. We hosted two focus groups where we heard from cities about their pandemic responses, the challenges they face, and the changing role of culture in urban areas after the outbreak of the COVID epidemic.
The king’s team is excited to collaborate with the World Cities Culture Forum in the Creative Recovery project. Participating in the Helsinki summit was a great opportunity to meet city leaders from around the world as we develop this research together.
– Dr Jonathan Gross, Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries
We were able to participate in discussions involving city leaders and decision-makers on many different topics. This included, among other things, how to support the creative workforce, who gets to imagine the future and how research can best support the cultural policy of cities. The city of Helsinki warmly welcomed the representatives throughout the summit. These included presentations about the city’s culture – such as performances by the Susanna Leinonen Company and violinist Pekka Kuusisto, as well as visits to the Culture and Wellness Center Lapinlahti Lähde and the Oodi Central Library – as well as the opportunity to meet various creative organizations in Helsinki.
The insights gathered at the Summit form part of the data collected for the Creative Recovery project, and the King’s team will also conduct online focus groups and a survey of the World Cities Culture Forum’s partner cities. We also analyzed data collected by the World Cities Culture Forum in the 18 months since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic – including city-to-city webinars, real-time sharing of policy solutions, and a database of cities’ cultural policy responses to the pandemic.
City leaders from around the world shared creative solutions during an unprecedented global pandemic. For the first time, King’s College and the World Cities Culture Forum are joining forces to provide insights into the role of culture in the COVID recovery in major global capitals and the power of collaboration between cities to meet the needs of their citizens.
– Laia Gasch, acting director, World Cities Culture Forum
In close cooperation with the World Cities Culture Forum’s acting with director Laia Gasch and her team in the Creative Recovery project including Dr Jonathan Gross, Dr Lucy McFadzean, Prof Roberta Comunian (CMCI), Prof Philip Hubbard, Dr Luke Dickens (Geography), Dr Kirstie Hewlett and Dr Niall Sreenan (Institute of Politics) – brings together expertise in cultural policy, urban policy, urban creative economies and the future of cities.
The team has worked closely with King’s Culture, who brokered the partnership with the World Cities Culture Forum, and sees the partnership as an exciting new opportunity for King’s to support knowledge exchange with the global cultural sector.
Understanding the role of arts and culture in post-COVID cities is vital to the future of successful cities everywhere. King’s Culture supports this collaboration between King’s scholars and international members of the World Cities Culture Forum.
– Beatrice Pembroke, Executive Director, King’s Culture
Ultimately, Creative Recovery research shares findings on the emerging and potential role of arts and culture in post-COVID cities, provides urgent insights into the role of cultural policy in urban recovery, and identifies opportunities for further work that can positively impact cultural policy in cities around the world.