.

The seminar on Cultural Planning with a title ”Bringing Culture and citizenship together ”took place during the Stockholm meeting on 21st of March 2013. The seminar was opened to the broad public with an invitation send both to River//Cities members and Europe Direct Intercult network. It finally gathered 42 learners from cultural institutions in Sweden and River//Cities/ Culture for Waterfronts partner organisations from six EU countries.

During the study visits in different partner cities through the project Culture for Waterfronts impressions and experiences has been shared within the partner group. Now the time has come to summarize those impressions and reflect on the question on how can they now be transferred into good practice and be further shared as keys to cultural and community development.

A Swedish expert on cultural planning Tomas Dahlberg introduced during the afternoon Cultural Planning as a method for participatory place development and led a workshop to connect the impressions so far to provide a framework for an integrated Culture for Waterfronts outcome.

Culture can promote both citizenship and sustainable cities. Bringing place, people and cultural activities together can develop local democracy and participation. A place consists of people and their stories and experiences, their ideas and dreams. We need to understand and to involve them in local development work. Cultural planning provides a method for this that involves a wide aspect of community and participatory qualities for sustainable development.

During the seminar we´ve got an introduction to principles and ideas about Culture planning as a method for a place and community sensible mapping and development. Participants also worked together with setting ideas and experiences into practical cases.

See some pictures from the seminar and the outcomes of out work together:

.