Seventeenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

UNESCO’s framework for cultural statistics (2009) includes models connecting culture to creative industries. ‘Creative Industries’ by John Hawkins (2013) and ‘Creative Cities’ by Charles Landry (2012), innovation and urban development go hand in hand. To benefit from social and creative capital, Singapore, Shanghai focused on cultural policies to improve infrastructure, develop networks of institutions and contribute to knowledge with technology for cluster development. Evidence suggests, the term ‘cluster development’ isn’t limited to science and technology fields but have expanded into arts and culture fields too. examples like M50 area in Shanghai prove that these ‘micro-spaces’ in urban fabric too contribute to urban regeneration. Recently, in World Urban Forum 10 (WUF10) the concept of connecting innovation to culture to create ‘Cities of Opportunities’ was discussed (2020). Countries are trying to focus on harnessing the intangible capital of tacit knowledge, also explored in ICOMOS’s charter for preservation of intangible heritage. The Culture 21 UCLG committee also emphasize upon development of the cities capturing culture. Ganeshotsav; considered to be a ‘Mega-festival’ started in 1893, in the city of Pune known as cultural capital of State of Maharashtra, India. Public celebration at spaces which become event spaces for congregation of masses has an impact over socio-economic, environment, and political domains both spatially and functionally. Focusing upon festival as ‘intangible heritage’ and from its purview, on its potentials for local development in old core city, this study assesses possibilities to integrate the culture in a master plan for sustainable development.