Author(s)

A. Gospodini

Abstract

This paper is concerned with cultural economies in the post-industrial city and examines the phenomenon of cultural and leisure clusters in Greek cities. In the first part, the paper discusses the key-role of cultural economies in the post-industrial city and presents types of cultural clusters in inner city areas. The second part focuses on Greek cities and analyses three cultural and leisure clusters in Athens, Thessaloniki and Volos. The paper documents the spontaneous formation and the ‘laissez-faire’ development of such clusters; it records the shift of land-uses and the transformations of urban landscape while it highlights the urban policies involved. Finally, it draws conclusions on the formation and management of cultural and leisure clusters and especially, the differences among large cities in the core of Europe and Mediterranean large cities in the developing periphery of Europe. Keywords: cultural and leisure economies, spontaneous clusters, urban landscape transformations, post-industrial city, Greek cities. 1Cultural economies and cultural leisure clusters in the post-industrial city Throughout urban history, cities have always exhibited a capacity to act as centres of cultural activities and generate culture in the form of various arts and styles, new ideas and attitudes. However, since the 1990s, the post-industrial city is witnessing an accelerating pace of growth of cultural and leisure economic activities. In the new milieu of economic globalisation and volatility of capital and enterprises, the relocation of traditional industries in developing regions was

Keywords

cultural and leisure economies, spontaneous clusters, urban landscape transformations, post-industrial city, Greek cities.