The Creative city : a toolkit for urban innovators / Charles Landry

The Creative City is an ambitious book. It should inspire people to think, plan and act creatively in the city and to get an ideas factory going that turns urban innovations into reality. Its aim is to make readers feel: 'I can do that too' and to spread confidence that creative and innovative solutions to urban problems are feasible however bad they may seem at first sight. A central message is that cities are changing dramatically in ways that amount to a paradigm shih. If we keep trying to solve urban problems with the old intellectual apparatus and mindset we will come up against the same obstacles. In spite of the urban crisis The Creative City is positive about cities, because they offer so much scope for communication, new ideas and wealth creation. Taking a bird's-eye view of cities around the world, it is astonishing how many ordinary people show leadership qualities to make the extraordinary possible when given the chance. (Font: Prefaci)

List of case studies -- Acronyms and abbreviations -- Preface -- Setting the scene -- Acknowledgements -- Part one: Urban groundshifts: 1. Rediscovering urban creativity ; 2. Urban problems, creative solutions ; 3. The new thinking -- Part two: The dynamics of urban creativity: 4. Creative urban transformations ; 5. Foundations of the creative city ; 6. The creative milieu -- Part three: A conceptual toolkit of urban creativity: 7. Getting creative planning started ; 8. Rediscovering urban creativity ; 9. Assessing and sustaining the creative process -- Part four: The creative city and beyond -- Appendix 1: Cultural industries in Tower Hamlets -- Appendix 2: Glasgow's cultural strenghts -- Appendix 3: Visual arts in Glasgow -- Bibliography -- Interesting websites -- About Comedia -- Index