Rising commercial rents in downtown Halifax combined with a freeze on federal arts funding are forcing artists to leave the city in search of affordable and accessible workspace. Essential to the cultural and economic growth of the city, artists desperately need space where they can continue to develop their work and grow their professional practice. The Halifax waterfront, which remains largely vacant since major industries shifted away from the area, provides an opportunity to create a new and unique cultural space in the heart of the city. This thesis examines the design of a cultural infrastructure on the Halifax waterfront to support the local creative community and to further enable connection, production and networking among creators and the public. By examining the transformation of the waterfront from its founding to its current condition, a strategy of uncovering the inherent qualities of place to inform new development is explored. / An architectural thesis focused on developing a cultural infrastructure on the Halifax waterfront to support the local creative community and to further enable connection among creators and the public.

This study investigates the digital presence of cultural centers in three regions of Germany taking into account the theoretical framework of knowledge age. In order to find out if the adaption of online tools has a positive influence on visitor reach, i.e. on the success of the centers, the thesis attempts to gather information on online tool usage of individual institutions via questionnaires. Taking into consideration the overall context three factors referring to traditional economic concepts namely industry Size, institutions size and program diversity are proposed as additional success factors. The research results indicate that digital presence, together with the other measured factors, have a positive impact on the success of the centers. Moreover, the cultural infrastructure appears to have a direct positive impact on the industry size and, consequently, an indirect impact on the success of cultural centers.

<p>This study investigates the digital presence of cultural centers in three regions of Germany taking into account the theoretical framework of knowledge age. In order to find out if the adaption of online tools has a positive influence on visitor reach, i.e. on the success of the centers, the thesis attempts to gather information on online tool usage of individual institutions via questionnaires. Taking into consideration the overall context three factors referring to traditional economic concepts namely industry Size, institutions size and program diversity are proposed as additional success factors. The research results indicate that digital presence, together with the other measured factors, have a positive impact on the success of the centers. Moreover, the cultural infrastructure appears to have a direct positive impact on the industry size and, consequently, an indirect impact on the success of cultural centers.</p>

Recalling the past – the cultural act of remembering – is crucially important for the formation of cities, their identity, and that of their inhabitants. It is an urban practice that involves a process of narrating and scrutinizing history and making it present in urban spaces. Remembering history is a form of participation and activism, which can be seen to revive the past, generate and shape public life, criticize historical constructs and misconceptions, and negotiate new ideas and identities. As part of a panel at the conference „Urbane Praxis. Neue für kulturelle Infrastrukturen“ [Urban praxis. New contexts for cultural infrastructures] we talked to four scholars and/or curators – Marie-Charlott Schube, Pablo Santacana López, Julia Kurz und Marianna Liosi – about their perspectives on remembering via the negotiation processes occurring in urban spaces.

Cette thèse étudie la transformation de l’ancienne prison publique de Valparaiso, au Chili, en un espace culturel à partir de sa désaffectation en 1999. S’appuyant sur une enquête de terrain intégrant des entretiens approfondis, des documents de presse écrite et d’autres sources secondaires, elle interroge les configurations singulières qui contribuent à la réhabilitation de ce lieu portant le stigmate de ses fonctions précédentes. Les enchevêtrements entre le monde carcéral et les mondes de l’art et de la culture ainsi que les formes d’administration à mi-chemin entre l’institutionnel et le citoyen sont analysés. La thèse soutient que les infrastructures désaffectées ne sont pas neutres : ancrées dans l’espace urbain, elles constituent le cadre de mémoires collectives et de significations qui dépassent leurs caractéristiques fonctionnelles. Le travail explore les effets de l’ancienne prison sur le capital symbolique et le travail des artistes locaux, dans un cadre de précarité matérielle. Réciproquement, il examine les réappropriations dont le site est l’objet et comment ils tendent à légitimer l’ancienne prison elle-même. Dans le contexte du classement de Valparaiso au patrimoine de l’Humanité par l’Unesco, en 2003, et plus largement du système économique néolibéral chilien, l’ancien pénitencier apparaît comme une plateforme pour des mégaprojets infrastructurels, en vue de la relance de la ville par le biais de stratégies fondées sur la patrimonialisation, le tourisme et les services. En ce sens, la thèse se penche sur la dimension conflictuelle du lieu, tout en analysant les discours officiels de promotion de ces mégaprojets, les contestations qu’ils rencontrent, ainsi que les difficultés éprouvées par les occupants pour s’organiser et parvenir à consolider un projet commun. / This thesis studies the transformation of Valparaiso’s former prison into a cultural space, from the moment of its clearance in 1999. Starting from a fieldwork based on in-depth interviews, written press material and other secondary sources, the investigation examines the singular configurations which contributes to the recovery of this space stigmatized because of its former functions. In this regard, the relations between the prison world and the art and culture world as well as the administration modes half way between the institutional and the civic, are analyzed. This thesis argues that the uninhabited infrastructures are not “neutral”, but are rooted into the urban space, forming the framework of collective memories and are of significations which go beyond merely functional characteristics. In this way this investigation explores the effects of the former prison on the symbolic capital and the work of local artists, framed in a situation of material precariousness. Reciprocally, this research analyses the re-appropriations of the space and to what extent they tend to legitimise the former prison itself. In the context of the designation of Valparaíso as world heritage by the Unesco in 2003, and more broadly of the neoliberal economic Chilean system, the former prison appears as a platform for diverse mega infrastructure projects, with the aim of boosting the city through strategies based on patrimonialization, tourism and services. In this regard, the thesis explores the conflict dimension of the location, by taking into account the official promotion speeches of these megaprojects, the forms of resistance they are confronted to, and the challenges experienced by the occupants themselves to organise and consolidate a common project.

The Basilica Notre-Dame Choir accompanying screenings of The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Regent in 1924, imaginative community prologues before Mary Pickford’s Pollyanna at the Russell in 1920, and costumed opera soloists singing alongside the showing of The Bohemian Girl at the Imperial in 1926: the history of Ottawa’s silent cinemas is an exciting mix of film, theatre, technology, music, and community. Unfortunately, Ottawa’s musical history in the early 1900s has been, by and large, forgotten, and local cinema histories are relatively sparse. In much the same manner that Ottawa theatres incorporated both North American and local elements into their programming, this thesis demonstrates that an examination of the musicians of local cinemas can not only provide information to understand the development of silent film music practices in general, but also unveil a network of musicians and a series of important histories. This thesis reconstructs parts of Ottawa’s silent film music history using a number of methodologies (digital research, archival research, and social network mapping) and primary sources (IATSE union documents, Department of Labour strike documents, newspapers, and trade journals). It also analyses several screenings where music and film were uniquely combined and introduces key figures in Ottawa’s silent film music scene (including violinist Rudolph Pelisek and organist Amédée Tremblay), showing how their training provided prestige to cinemas and how their involvement in military, religious, and communal activities added to cinemas’ appeal. ----- Le Chœur de la Basilique Notre-Dame accompagnant les présentations du film The Hunchback of Notre Dame au Regent en 1924, les prologues communautaires inventifs avant le Pollyanna de Mary Pickford au Russell en 1920, et les soloistes d’opéra chantant à côté de la projection de The Bohemian Girl à l’Imperial en 1926: l’histoire des cinémas muets d’Ottawa est un mélange excitant de film, théâtre, technologie, musique et communauté. Malheureusement, le passé musical d’Ottawa au début du vingtième siècle a été largement oublié, et les histoires locales du cinéma sont relativement rares. De la même façon que les théâtres d’Ottawa incluaient à la fois des éléments locaux et nord-américains dans leur programmation, cette thèse démontre qu’un examen des musiciens des cinémas locaux peut non seulement procurer des renseignements pour comprendre le développement de la musique du cinéma muet en général, mais encore lever le voile sur un réseau de musiciens et une série de récits d’importance. Cette thèse reconstruit des aspects de l’histoire de la musique du du cinéma muet à Ottawa en utilisant un plusieurs méthodologies (la recherche numérique, la recherche en archives, et la cartographie des réseaux sociaux) et de sources primaires (documents du syndicat ouvrier IATSE, documents de grève du ministère fédéral du Travail, quotidiens, et revues spécialisées). La thèse analyse aussi quelques instances uniques de combinaison de musique et de film, et présente des personnages clé de la scène musicale du cinéma muet d’Ottawa (incluant le violoniste Rudolph Pelisek et l’organiste Amédée Tremblay), tout en montrant comment leur formation procurait du prestige aux cinémas, et comment leur implication dans des activités militaires, religieuses, et communautaires ont ajouté à la popularité des cinémas.

Trots att kulturens roll för hållbar utveckling erkänts av många inom såväl akademien som planeringsbranschen, är planeringen av praktiska förutsättningar för konst och kultur - kulturell infrastruktur – bristfällig och ibland helt utebliven i Sverige idag. Syftet med studien är därför att utforska vilka förutsättningar som kan skapas för kulturell infrastruktur genom stads- och samhällsplanering i Sverige. Kulturell infrastruktur innefattar såväl hårda (såsom fysiska lokaler) som mjuka strukturer (såsom ekonomiskt stöd). Studien inriktar sig på offentliga verksamheter (främst kommunalt och regionalt) men behandlar även hur privata konsultfirmor kan skapa förutsättningar för kulturell infrastruktur.   Resultaten bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med såväl konstnärer, konst- och kultursamarbetsorganisationer, arkitekter som tjänstepersoner på kommunal och regional nivå, samt på två enkätundersökningar med såväl konst- och kulturaktörer som planerare. Inom ramen för studien har även två exempelfall studerats – Fyrklövern i Upplands Väsby, samt Gatukonstfestivalen No Limit i Borås. Studien undersöker tre forskningsfrågor: 1) Vad för kulturell infrastruktur behövs i Sverige idag? 2) Vad hindrar etableringen av kulturell infrastruktur idag? 3) Vilken potential finns inom stads- och samhällsplanering att skapa förutsättningar för kulturell infrastruktur?   Studiens resultat visar att de former av kulturell infrastruktur som främst behövs i Sverige idag är Tillgängliga mötesplatser, Information och kunskap, samt Nätverk och Finansieringsformer. De tre största hindren som studien identifierar är Brist på värdering och ansvar för konst- och kultur, Finansiering och Struktur och organisation. Samverkan visar sig vara den viktigaste potentialen inom stads- och samhällsplanering, såväl över nivåerna kommun-region-stat, som med konst- och kulturaktörer, övriga civilsamhället och näringslivet. Två andra stora potentialer visar sig vara Strategisk planering och Krav och investering. Här ingår användningen av planeringsverktyg såsom Cultural planning och kulturkonsekvensanalyser. Studien visar på vikten att kommuner våga ställa högre krav och använda sin position som långsiktig samhällsutvecklare med planmonopol för att möjliggöra för konst och kultur - exempelvis genom att tillämpa ett poängsystem likt det i Fyrklövern vid markprissättning. Samtidigt understryks värdet av att inta en möjliggörande roll genom att stötta gräsrotsinitiativ och ge dem långsiktiga förutsättningar att driva kulturell infrastruktur. För att även göra kulturella infrastrukturer tillgängliga och inkluderande krävs ett kritiskt förhållningssätt som uppmärksammar dolda normer.   Resultaten av studien talar för komplexitetsteorins relevans för att förstå och beskriva kulturell utveckling. Teorin stöttar studiens resultat såsom vikten av att samarbeta över politikområden såsom bostäder och kollektivtrafik, samt vikten av att inte planera allt i detalj, utan att lämna rum för organisk vidareutveckling. Den förklarar också att det inte går att avkräva direkta och exakt mätbara effekter av konst- och kultursatsningar.     Studiens resultat har slutligen sammanfattats i form av rekommendationer för såväl stads- och samhällsplanerare som politiska och privata beslutsfattare. / Although the role of culture for sustainable development is recognized by many in the academy as well as in the urban and regional planning sector, the planning of practical conditions for arts and culture - cultural infrastructure - is inadequate and sometimes completely absent in Sweden today. The aim of this study is therefore to explore what conditions can be created for cultural infrastructure through urban and regional planning in Sweden. Cultural infrastructure includes both hard (such as physical premises) and soft structures (such as financial support). The study focuses on public activities (mainly municipal and regional) but also deals with how private consultancy firms can enable cultural infrastructure.   The results are based on qualitative interviews with artists, arts and culture associations, architects as well as municipal and regional planners. Moreover, the study comprises of two questionnaires aimed at art and culture actors and planners and architects from the municipal, regional and private sector. Within the study, two sample cases have been studied - Fyrklöven in Upplands Väsby, and the Street art festival No Limit in Borås. The study explores three research questions: 1) What kind of cultural infrastructure that is needed in Sweden today? 2) What prevents the development of Cultural Infrastructure? 3) What potential lies in urban and regional planning?   The results of the study show that the types of cultural infrastructure that are primarily needed in Sweden today are Available meeting places, Information and knowledge, as well as Networks and Funding. The three biggest obstacles identified is Lack of value and responsibility for art and culture, Funding and Structure and organization. Collaboration proves to be the most important potential in planning, both over the levels of municipal-region-state, as with art and culture actors and other civil society actors and businesses. Two other main potentials lie in Strategic planning, and Demands and investments. This includes application of planning tools such as Cultural Planning and Culture Impact Assessments. The study also highlights the importance that municipalities set higher demands and use their positions as long-term societal developers with monopoly in order to give room for art and culture – e.g. by applying a scoring system similar to that in Fyrklövern when pricing land. Moreover, the study points to the benefits and importance of supporting grassroots initiatives and providing them long-term conditions for driving cultural infrastructure. In order to make cultural infrastructures available and inclusive, a critical approach is also required that draws attention to hidden norms.   The results of the study speak for the relevance of the complexity theory in understanding and describing cultural development. This theory support results of the study such as the importance of collaborating over policy areas, e.g. housing and public transport, the importance of not planning everything in detail and instead leave room for organic development. It also explains that one cannot directly or precisely quantify the effects of art and culture efforts. The results of the study are finally summarized as recommendations for urban and regional planners as well as political and private decision-makers.