Culture In, for and As Sustainable Development. Conclusions from the COST Action IS1007 Investigating Cultural Sustainability
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Culture in, for and as Sustainable Development CONCLUSIONS FROM THE COST ACTION IS1007 INVESTIGATING CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY 1 Katriina Soini - [email protected] | Joost Dessein - [email protected] EDITED BY Joost Dessein, Katriina Soini, Graham Fairclough and Lummina Horlings 2 Culture in, for and as Sustainable Development Conclusions from the COST Action IS1007 Investigating Cultural Sustainability Edited by Joost Dessein, Katriina Soini, Graham Fairclough and Lummina Horlings 3 COST Action IS1007 Investigating Cultural First published 2015 by University of Jyväskylä Sustainability Editors: Joost Dessein, Katriina Soini, Graham Fairclough and Lummina Horlings Main authors: Katriina Soini, Elena Battaglini, Inger Birkeland, Nancy Duxbury, Graham Fairclough, Lummina Horlings and Joost Dessein Authors of the stories: Story 1: Christiaan De Beukelaer, Julija Matejić, Lummina Horlings and Nancy Duxbury; Story 2: Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert, Marina Mihailova, Paola Spinozzi, Annalisa Cicerchia, Jenny Johannisson, Anita Kangas, Miloslav Lapka, Milena Sesic -Dragicevic, Katriina Siivonen and Astrid Skjerven; Story 3: Inger Birkeland, Katarzyna Plebanczyck, Goran Tomka, Oliver Bender, Maria Leus and Hannes Palang; Story 4: Constanza Parra, Robert Burton, Claudia Brites, Jenny Atmanagara, Elena Battaglini, Mari Kivitalo, Nina Svane-Mikkelsen and Katriina Soini; Story 5: Nathalie Blanc, Raquel Freitas, Maria Cadarso, Svetlana Hristova, Marion Lang, Roberta Chiarini, Eva Cudlinov and Mario Reimer. Authors of text boxes are specified in each box Graphic Design and Artworks: Minja Revonkorpi | Taidea This publication should be cited as: Dessein, J., Soini, K., Fairclough, G. and Horlings, L. (eds) 2015. Culture in, for and as Sustainable Development. Conclusions from the COST Action IS1007 Investigating Cultural Sustainability. University of Jyväskylä, Finland. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. ISBN: 978-951-39-6177-0 4 COST Action IS1007 Investigating Cultural Sustainability 5 COST Action IS1007 Investigating Cultural Sustainability Investigating Cultural Sustainability is a Eu- Action Investigating Cultural Sustainability in ropean research network focused in a mul- its four years organised eight workshops or tidisciplinary perspective on the relationship symposiums hosted by its members across between culture and sustainable develop- Europe, and a cross-cutting meeting was or- ment. During its four year period (2011-2015) ganised in Brussels for stakeholders in or- its main objective was to highlight European der to collate and produce new knowledge research across its members’ countries in with the help of external experts, scholars, order to provide policy makers with instru- policy-makers and practitioners. Over 30 ments for integrating culture as a key ele- research missions between the research in- ment of the sustainable development. Ac- stitutes were carried out by members of the tion’s network was composed of around 100 Action, and two training schools were organ- researchers from 25 countries within the EU, ised to strengthen the topic among the young with participants as well from Israel, New researchers working in this field. A key out- Zealand and Australia. It held a wide variety come of the Action was the establishment of of disciplines and fields of research, rang- a new series of books that establish culture ing from cultural, humanistic and social sci- and sustainability as an important emerging ences, through political and natural sciences and active field of research. Published as to planning. These were organised in three ‘Routledge Studies in Culture and Sustain- thematic clusters – Concepts, Policies and able Development’, the series has been in- Assessments – which are broadly reflected augurated by three volumes of papers drawn in the structure of this document. from and representative of the work of the Action itself. The work of the network was supported by the European COST Association (COpera- The results of the work – including the pub- tion in Science and Technology) and funded lication of the present document, ‘Culture in, within the European Commission’s research for and as Sustainable Development’ - were programme Horizon 2020. COST Actions are shared and discussed in a final public confer- designed to build new knowledge by bringing ence in Helsinki on 6-8 May 2015, ‘Culture(s) together researchers to cooperate and coor- in Sustainable Futures: theories, policies, dinate nationally-funded research activities, practices’. and to build up new transnational and inter- national research co-operation. The funding provides an opportunity for researchers to www.culturalsustainability.eu develop their competences, share experi- www.cost.eu ence and expertise with colleagues in other countries, and improve their research career through workshops, training and exchange programs. 6 Pictures by Joost Dessein 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY It should be obvious that culture matters to sus- into a framing, contextualising and mediating tainable development. Yet almost 30 years af- mode, one that can balance all three of the ter the Brundtland report ‘Our Common Future’ existing pillars and guide sustainable develop- the incorporation of culture into sustainability ment between economic, social, and ecologi- debates seems to remain a great challenge, cal pressures and needs. Third, we argue that both scientifically and politically. There have there can be an even a more fundamental role been some recent attempts to bring culture into for culture (‘culture as sustainable develop- sustainability, by trans- and inter-national or- ment’) which sees it as the essential foundation ganisations and by cross/trans-disciplinary sci- and structure for achieving the aims of sustain- entific endeavours, but they continue to swim able development. In this role it integrates, co- against the prevailing current of conventional ordinates and guides all aspects of sustainable sustainability discourses rooted in environmen- action. In all three roles, recognising culture as tal and economic perspectives. at the root of all human decisions and actions, and as an overarching concern (even a new Culture, sustainability and sustainable develop- paradigm) in sustainable development thinking, ment are complicated concepts that are not al- enables culture and sustainability to become ways easy for scientists, policy makers or prac- mutually intertwined so that the distinctions be- titioners to grasp or apply. In the course of our tween the economic, social and environmental four-year (2011-15) COST Action, IS1007 In- dimensions of sustainability begin to fade. vestigating Cultural Sustainability, we explored all three concepts and learnt to embrace their Our second chapter, ‘Culture at the crossroads multiple meanings and connotations. In this fi- of policy’, identifies a number of different top- nal report from the Action we present their di- ics, fields or themes that are commonly – or versity and plurality as a meaningful resource should be – addressed by policies, and the for building a comprehensive analytical frame- streams or flows of thought and action that work for the structured study and application of they follow; we liken them to ‘scripts’ that guide ‘culture and sustainable development’. Our con- the performance of sustainability. These scripts clusions are presented in three chapters, after reveal the broad contours of a new type of pol- a Prologue to set the scene and followed by a icy landscape. We explore eight overlapping reflective and forward looking Epilogue. themes: the negotiation of memories, identi- Our first chapter offers our view of key con- ties and heritage; the relevance of place, land- cepts, and presents the three important ways scape and territory; the complexities of social we identify for culture to play important roles life, commons and participation; the centrality in sustainable development. First, culture can of creative practices and activities; culturally have a supportive and self-promoting role sensitive policies for economic development; (which we characterise as ‘culture in sustain- nature conservation; the importance of increas- able development’). This already-established ing awareness and knowledge of sustainability; approach expands conventional sustainable and finally, policies aiming at transformations. development discourse by adding culture as a Our analysis reveals that culture is not just the self-standing 4th pillar alongside separate eco- subject or object of cultural policy; it should logical, social, and economic considerations also inform and be integrated with all other and imperatives. We see a second role (‘culture policies, for the economic, the social and the for sustainable development’), however, which environmental, and for the global and the local. offers culture as a more influential force that All the best and most successful policies are 8 can operate beyond itself. This moves culture (although not necessarily consciously) culturally informed. Policies dealing with education, tour- low cultural statistics to be consistently con- ism, research, cultural diplomacy, social poli- structed and made useful, although we also cies, and city and regional planning, as well as recognise