The economy of global diversity - day 1
On the basis of the urban agglomerations Istanbul and the Ruhr, a three-day symposium at the Institute for cultural science (KWI) in Essen examines the organisation and development of cultures influenced by ethnical factors in urban areas.
The research results of the work group on economy, part of the Global Young Faculty, an initiative of the Stiftung Mercator, supported by the KWI, the university alliance Metropole Ruhr and the non-university research institutions on the European capital of culture RUHR.2010, and the state of North-Rhine Westphalia, are presented. One of the crucial questions is: How is urban diversity used for economic and social developments?
On the first day of the symposium, moderator Steffen Brinckmann first explains the approach of the interdisciplinary group consisting of participants from Turkey, Greece, and Germany starting with the basic idea „global streams in urban spaces“ under consideration of the „colourful mix” within the workgroup on economy, followed by an examination of the economic aspects of social diversity, or an „economy of diversity“. Which influence does cultural diversity as economic capital have on urban development? The work group examined past and present of Istanbul and the Ruhr in search for an answer.
In the following, Korinna Schönhärl and Jörg Plöger (s. photo) presented the actual work of the group. The issue of gentrification (in short: a rent increase in a certain district results in another resident clientele than before) is deliberately brought up – maybe gentrification was already a factor in the 19th century, for example in Istanbul: in the Galata district which originally had a 50 per cent Muslim population, more and more rich, Christian merchants became city council members, raised the rents, drove away the Muslims by doing so, and as a result, ruined the district, last but not least due to the selfishness und corruption of the council members. Today, the same method would be used in historical districts, Roma would be pushed into the outskirts, and as reasons for that, those in charge would mention marketability, promotion of tourism, and the „modernisation“ with its European and American influences. And this „renovation“ would be so easy because 60 per cent of the buildings in Istanbul had been erected without a construction permit. Unlike the Roma, the Greek minority even got EU money for the conservation of „their“ district. Thus, the „modern metropolis“ was quasi a synonym for an „entrepreneurial city“.
In the following discussion, the question (among others) is brought up why the work group has examined the history of the Greeks and Roma, but not that of the Jews, for example, in the cityscape of Istanbul during the last centuries. Among other things, this would be due to the fact that the presence of the first two groups was easier to reconstruct, is the group’s answer. Some ask if Istanbul and the Ruhr were comparable at all – not only regarding their structure and size, but especially regarding their very different migration traditions and reasons for migration. Can the Ruhr learn from Istanbul, considering its short-term experience in urban diversity? The discussion participants admit that different state demands require different inner-city measures and that historically grown structures of cultural minorities have another significance than agglomerated housing settlements of people who consider themselves “immigrant workers” who have stayed. So, is the discussion about classes rather than about ethnicities, after all? With this question, the first day of the symposium ends.
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The research results of the work group on economy, part of the Global Young Faculty, an initiative of the Stiftung Mercator, supported by the KWI, the university alliance Metropole Ruhr and the non-university research institutions on the European capital of culture RUHR.2010, and the state of North-Rhine Westphalia, are presented. One of the crucial questions is: How is urban diversity used for economic and social developments?
Cultural diversity – an asset for cities?
On the first day of the symposium, moderator Steffen Brinckmann first explains the approach of the interdisciplinary group consisting of participants from Turkey, Greece, and Germany starting with the basic idea „global streams in urban spaces“ under consideration of the „colourful mix” within the workgroup on economy, followed by an examination of the economic aspects of social diversity, or an „economy of diversity“. Which influence does cultural diversity as economic capital have on urban development? The work group examined past and present of Istanbul and the Ruhr in search for an answer.
In the following, Korinna Schönhärl and Jörg Plöger (s. photo) presented the actual work of the group. The issue of gentrification (in short: a rent increase in a certain district results in another resident clientele than before) is deliberately brought up – maybe gentrification was already a factor in the 19th century, for example in Istanbul: in the Galata district which originally had a 50 per cent Muslim population, more and more rich, Christian merchants became city council members, raised the rents, drove away the Muslims by doing so, and as a result, ruined the district, last but not least due to the selfishness und corruption of the council members. Today, the same method would be used in historical districts, Roma would be pushed into the outskirts, and as reasons for that, those in charge would mention marketability, promotion of tourism, and the „modernisation“ with its European and American influences. And this „renovation“ would be so easy because 60 per cent of the buildings in Istanbul had been erected without a construction permit. Unlike the Roma, the Greek minority even got EU money for the conservation of „their“ district. Thus, the „modern metropolis“ was quasi a synonym for an „entrepreneurial city“.
What the Ruhr can learn from Istanbul...
In the following discussion, the question (among others) is brought up why the work group has examined the history of the Greeks and Roma, but not that of the Jews, for example, in the cityscape of Istanbul during the last centuries. Among other things, this would be due to the fact that the presence of the first two groups was easier to reconstruct, is the group’s answer. Some ask if Istanbul and the Ruhr were comparable at all – not only regarding their structure and size, but especially regarding their very different migration traditions and reasons for migration. Can the Ruhr learn from Istanbul, considering its short-term experience in urban diversity? The discussion participants admit that different state demands require different inner-city measures and that historically grown structures of cultural minorities have another significance than agglomerated housing settlements of people who consider themselves “immigrant workers” who have stayed. So, is the discussion about classes rather than about ethnicities, after all? With this question, the first day of the symposium ends.
title photo: Jens Kobler
text photo: Global Young Faculty
Related videos: text photo: Global Young Faculty
- "Transforming a metropolis" – Prof. Dr. Claus Leggewie on the future of Ruhr
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- Art & culture in the Ruhr – a conflict situation beyond words
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Thu, 20.01.2011
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