Cartography of Cultural Practices and Promoting Creative Policies for an Educating City

2.1 Urban Development through Cultural Activation

We understand culture not as a mere product, but as a set of activities anchoring creative processes in their context as bases of shared identity and collective transformation. Culture is also perceived as a “mechanism through which individuals, communities, and nations define themselves, seek to address their interests in an individual sense, and develop their group identity” (McNarr, 2000, p. 9).

Therefore, understanding the cultural characteristics of a territory constitutes the starting point for designing cultural policies that respond to the real needs of its inhabitants (Thite, 2011). These policies act as institutional and democratizing supports of art that channel both aesthetic creativity and collective lifestyles, acting as a bridge between these registers (Miller & Yúdice, 2004; Scott, 2004). To expand this definition, we include the concept of “rhizomatic cultural policy” proposed by Kizlari (2019), which, based on the rhizome metaphor of philosophers Deleuze and Guattari, describes a non-hierarchical and non-linear model that advocates for a constant diversification of what is considered culture, valuing current expressions of the arts within their contexts.

As spaces of intervention, cities become “the ultimate text to tell and transmit their own story: they are living books where citizens record the defining manifestations of their own identity” (Betancur, 2020, pp. 19–20), but also “permanent, plural, and multifaceted educational agents capable of enhancing social transformation” (IAEC, 2020, p. 4). The importance of municipalities as spaces of intervention are recognised in the competition between private and public institutions not only for the management of artistic and symbolic goods but also for the political space that emerges between State-society-artists and individuals. In cities, “cultural policy then deals not only with the world of the arts but also with the activation of new forms of symbolic production, that is, developing new meanings and relationships in the social fabric” (Peters, 2020, p. 208). Hence, the need to address the cultural fabric of cities as part of urban and social development (UIL, 2021).

We understand that all cities have the inherent capacity to be educational spaces – even without explicitly incorporating intentionalities or educational strategies – due to the daily interactions that occur in them (Rosero Tobar, 2021). However, not harnessing this characteristic hinders citizen development and raises concern that it primarily serves neoliberal interests, relegating sociocultural issues to the background (Boshier, 2018; Partida-Hernández & Patiño-García, 2021). This concern to avoid superficiality is reflected in the commitments proposed by international organisations, which promote the adherence of cities globally committed to initiating structural changes in urban and cultural development (Matovic, 2021).

This is the case with Educating Cities, a project managed by the International Association of Educating Cities (IAEC), with 482 member cities. Its manifesto is outlined in the Charter of Educating Cities, drafted in 1990 and revised in 2020, aiming to activate administrations and specific plans for the creation of cultural networks (Essomba, 2022). Urban projects developed with this approach seek active citizen participation aligned with democratic-cultural ideals. Among the commitments involving cities is the Global Network of Learning Cities, which since 2013 has identified localities that understand cultural activity as a pillar for constant learning and improving the quality of life of their inhabitants. Currently, this network comprises 356 cities in 79 countries (UNESCO, 2024). This approach is directly related to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, created in 2004, which acts as a network of contact and collaboration among 354 cities. Classified by thematic areas, their website provides a platform for exchanging and sharing updated information and initiatives implemented for urban development through cultural planning. Linked to this project, in 2017, the European Commission launched the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor, a tool updated in 2019 to evaluate the cultural performance of cities in line with the New European Agenda for Culture of 2018.

Other international initiatives have emphasised the importance of culture and creativity in urban development. In 2018, UNESCO published Culture 2030 Indicators, a document designed to measure and evaluate the contribution of culture to the Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2021 as the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development (Escalona Orcao et al., 2022). In the international legislative arena, the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, adopted in 2005 and currently ratified by 151 states, has encouraged numerous countries and cities to develop cultural policies recognising culture as a global public good (Yúdice, 2019). In conclusion, policies that acknowledge and promote cultural diversity as a global public good reflect a deep concern for cities and their cultural contexts. These measures not only strengthen individual creativity and social cohesion but also aim to drive sustainable urban and cultural development through inclusive and participatory strategies and the promotion of locally based studies (Moguillansky, 2021).

2.2 Cultural Cartography as a Foundation for Local Policy

Culture serves as a social and historical mapping of the territory in which it is located. In contrast, neoliberal philosophers exalt individualism as a requirement for “effective citizenship,” urging communities to relinquish their unique cultural characteristics in favour of a unified state (Miller & Peters, 2022, p. 39). According to López de Aguileta (2000), public institutions should not aspire to direct, control, or create culture, as this is artificial, contravenes cultural pluralism, and harms existing initiatives. However, it is a public duty to establish a favourable framework by activating strategic plans to nurture and revitalise creative actions, relying on demand and active creators. Therefore, thorough knowledge of heritage assets is essential to ensure that their treatment respects the unique characteristics of each cultural asset. This is where the promotion of research, inventory work, and locally focused cartographic studies come into play.

This highlights the need to activate independent mechanisms that, like observatories, periodically analyse the cultural capital of cities, enabling the development of new models that guarantee quality public services (González-Posada & Fernández-León, 2019). UNESCO (2009, 2010) recognises cultural cartography as a crucial technique for turning invisible knowledge into a resource that supports heritage management, education, and intercultural dialogue (Duxbury & Redaelli, 2020). Hence, cartographic study is presented as the first step in the cultural planning process, as it allows for an understanding of the creative sectors before making policy decisions (Arcila Garrido & López Sánchez, 2011; CCNC, 2010).

In culturally mapping a territory, the first commitment that institutions should make is to establish themselves as absolute defenders of freedom of expression and cultural diversity, ensuring four non-negotiable aspects: “that all creators can express themselves in their different disciplines and languages, that citizens engage with culture, the preservation of heritage (both tangible and intangible), and the maintenance of the infrastructures necessary for artistic encounters to occur” (Wainstein, 2018, p. 304). State and local governments should avoid acting as cultural judges dictating what constitutes culture and recognise their role as facilitators of diversity, promoting the existence of a wide variety of cultural circuits where organisations, institutions, and other societal agents actively interact (De Giorgi, 2021). According to García (2008), a “popular cultural policy” cannot result from omissions; it must be built within the current conditions, meaning in close relation to those already engaged in cultural activities within the observed context. These atlases will allow the comparison of information with maps representing state perspectives, specifying, for instance, which agents are involved in the cultural sector and their actual resources (Kingsolver et al., 2017).

An example of mapping citizens’ cultural interests can be found in the latest edition of the Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain 2021-2022, conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Sport in collaboration with the National Statistics Institute. It sampled 16,000 residents of Spain aged 15 and over, aiming to provide detailed indicators on specific cultural practices (such as visits to museums, monuments, archives, performing arts, music, audiovisual, etc.), as well as the cultural habits, levels of interest and satisfaction of the Spanish public with various cultural manifestations. Despite the valuable data collected, systematic searches reveal that cultural studies often focus on economic implications or public demands, without paying sufficient attention to the situation of cultural sector workers, who frequently face precarious conditions and limited financial support (Miller, 2018). This demonstrates how cultural mapping is often viewed primarily through the lens of economic growth, neglecting its crucial role in education and society.

Culture is continually in a threatened, underdeveloped, and unevenly distributed state. To address this, Rosenstein (2018) proposes a paradigm shift that includes the “management of culture as the management of creativity,” prioritising it over partisanship and economic benefits, and advocating for expanded and dignified cultural participation for all agents in the cultural system. Building on this idea, a mapping approach based on the concept of learning infrastructure, as proposed by Facer and Buchczyk (2019), is suggested. This concept rejects viewing the urban creative landscape as a mere collection of autonomous practices, offering a dynamic understanding that is continually constituted and reconstituted through the assembly and integration of various material, social, and cultural resources. From this perspective, the importance of “developing a set of tools that allow us to sensitively engage with the simultaneous precarity and relative stability of learning resources in the city, constantly being made and remade, deeply interconnected with other infrastructural practices, constantly dynamic, fragile, resilient, and precious” (Facer & Buchczyk, 2019, p. 185) is highlighted. This outlook implies a decentralised approach rooted in its context, focused on creators, organisations and artists, local governments, cultural recipients, and academic spaces that promote new perspectives of the cultural fabric, which can be translated into policies adapted to social needs (Ferreño & Olmos-Álvarez, 2013).

3.1 Methodological Structure of the Study of Cultural and Artistic Practices

The mapping and cartography of cultural and artistic practices in the City Council of A Coruña are framed within the Logical Framework Approach (LFA). This methodology aims to facilitate the conceptualisation, design, implementation, and evaluation of projects (Ortegón et al., 2015). Given the volume of data to be handled in this report, the LFA provides a structured and logical framework to set priorities in the information search and to determine the results and cultural actions in the city. When used correctly, it can significantly aid in developing a project concept into a comprehensive future project design document (Jakson, 1997).

In planning the mapping, it is necessary to find an appropriate balance between stability and flexibility (Hersoug, 1996). Generally, the more known about external factors that may influence a project, the more detailed the planning can be. Additionally, during the project’s execution, more realistic objectives can be established, aligning with the current thinking that project execution should be a learning process.

The LFA offers a generic approach that can be adapted to user needs, providing a basis for assessing a project’s effectiveness, efficiency, and relevance. Planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation are parts of a continuous process where lessons learned during implementation feed back into ongoing planning (Aune, 2000). As a methodological process for mapping, the LFA includes four analytical levels: stakeholder analysis, problem analysis, objective analysis, and alternative analysis, guiding the proposed structure based on these four analytical phases.

Level 1 focuses on identifying and analysing the various agents involved in the cultural and artistic practices of A Coruña. As a result of this phase, a classification is proposed in three main categories: persons and entities, spaces, and events. Each category is further divided into the 30 subcategories shown in Table 1.

As a result of the Level 2 analysis, the study identifies the following problems:

1. The dispersion of the multitude of cultural actions developed by both the City Council and city agents.

2. The limited visibility, dissemination, archiving, and memory of all the city’s cultural production.

3. The proliferation of cultural actions of a very similar nature.

In Level 3, it is established that the main objective of this research is to map and chart all cultural and artistic practices occurring in A Coruña, both by public and private institutions, including those conducted by the city’s cultural department as well as those funded or external. The resulting report aims to become a visual map of the city’s cultural activity, identifying its potential, shortcomings, and weaknesses to establish future lines of cultural action.

Level 4 focuses on analysing the most suitable procedures and tools for collecting the necessary information to achieve the study’s objectives. The adaptation of the LFA to the context of this study is summarised in the matrix shown in Table 2.

3.2 Data Collection, Organisation, and Analysis Procedures According to the LFA

The study was conducted from September 15 to December 1, 2022. Below are the four phases in which it was carried out, corresponding to the different phases of the LFA structure previously presented:

1. First Phase: Planning and cartographic methodology of the research. Adaptation of the LFA to the perspective of cultural practices in the city of A Coruña. Study of the context through observation and the search for similar reports on the analysis of cultural practices in other cities. Definition of the structure and categories of the cultural fabric. Identification of the actions, agents, and individuals involved in cultural management in the city of A Coruña.

2. Second Phase: Fieldwork with associations, cultural agents, and artists, including interviews and meetings with festival directors, city cultural managers, and other cultural institutions of the City Council of A Coruña. Processing of the collected information.

3. Third Phase: Design of records for creating the database of cultural and artistic practices in the city of A Coruña.

4. Fourth Phase: Report writing, visual design, and layout for public presentation.

To organise and prioritise the mapping of cultural and artistic practices in the city of A Coruña, a tagging system was used. Each practice was assigned tags in the following categories: Typology, Disciplines, and Actions. The Typology aligns with the corresponding subcategory (e.g., artist, association, museum, gallery, fair, etc.; Table 1). Meanwhile, the categories Disciplines and Actions are outlined in Table 3.

To map all the cultural practices occurring in the city of A Coruña, which are numerous, the structure and phases developed in the LFA were used to gather as much information as possible. To map and record the entire process, prior reports on the economic management of culture in the City Council were reviewed to assess the impact of practices on the local economy. To systematise this information, data triangulation was employed using various documents, databases, and information obtained from interviews. The selected instruments for collecting the necessary information are presented below:

• Secondary Sources: Reports on cultural practices in other cities and regions in Spain were sought. Internal documents from the City Council’s cultural department were also consulted, including management reports, censuses, and databases of agreements with cultural entities or grants awarded to them. Specifically, the following City Council databases were consulted: REMAC, IMCE, Arraigo, Municipal Libraries Reports, Management Reports, Civic Centres Reports, PRESCO grant allocations, Music Guide update 2014, Open Studies Programme, Music Consortium, Municipal Archives, and Scientific Museums Network. Additionally, a systematic search was conducted online for the programming of local City Council institutions and through platforms and social media linked to the City Council’s cultural activities.

• Participant Observation: Observation was used as a tool to understand the context in which cultural and artistic practices occur in the city. This method allowed direct information gathering from different involved agents and their cultural actions (DeWalt & Dewalt, 2011; Kawulich, 2005).

• Semi-Structured Interviews: Interviews were conducted with artists, music producers, cultural managers, and officials from the City Council’s Cultural Department, including the head of the department, the head of Municipal Libraries, and the head of the Galician Craftsmen Association. The use of open-ended questions facilitated the exploration of topics and the construction of a holistic and comprehensive understanding of the cultural production reality in the city (Massot-Lafon et al., 2004).

• Meetings: Meetings were held with cultural managers from the city of A Coruña. These encounters provided access to relevant City Council documentation for identifying cultural and artistic practices in the city.

• Cultural and Artistic Practice Records: A record was designed to determine the most relevant information to collect for each practice. Three types of records were created: one for persons, another for entities and spaces, and a third for events. All records include the name, website or social media, cultural actions carried out, and assigned tags. Additionally, the records for entities, spaces, and events include the physical address, and for events, the estimated dates of celebration.