SCAENA

Cultural Scenes, Atmospheres and Urban Transformations

Cultural and creative activities are at the heart of the profound changes that are currently affecting urban societies, their territories and their development. These activities challenge public policies as they constitute a powerful vector of innovation, they help to strengthen resilience of industrial territories, and produce specific atmospheres but they also create gentrification. Based on the cultural scene concept, the SCAENA project aims to analyze the complex embeddedness between the cultural and artistic activities, the presence of start-ups or creative entrepreneurs, and the socio-urban configuration of a territory. Beyond a theoretical and methodological reflection on the concept of scene, we will analyze the emergence conditions, the visibility, and the development of scenes and study their strategic issues, especially for urban governments.

Our work will focus on four main geographic areas: Nantes, Angers, Grenoble and  Austin (Texas, USA).