Designing the experience city: The role of Hybrid Cultural projects

Abstract

This article takes its point of departure in the pressure of the experience economy on European cities - a pressure which in recent years has found its expression in a number of comprehensive transformations of the physical and architectural environments, and new architectural eventscapes related to fun and cultural experience are emerging. The physical, cultural and architectural perspectives of this development as well as the problems and the new opportunities with which the ‘Experience city’ is faced are discussed in the paper. The article focuses on the design of the Danish Experience City with special emphasis on hybrid cultural projects and on performative urban spaces. It presents the first findings of a research project mapping the different approaches to urban transformation and experience design, to the level of strategic thinking and planning, and to the content of the programs implemented. Special emphasis is put on projects combining experience, leisure and learning, and on projects which have clear goals related to the improvement of social interaction, performance and cultural exchange. The article contains two sections. In section one, we present the main theoretical concepts and framings that will guide the understanding and the analysis of the experience city. In section two, we focus on the design of the Danish experience city and present the first findings of our ongoing research project. We analyse 15 Danish cases, which are represented in relation to their strategic and urban design importance, their social and cultural content, their architectural representation and the programmes they contain. The article ends with a short discussion of some of these preliminary findings and an engagement with the discussion about the trajectory of future research.

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