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Star architecture and its role for re-positioning small and medium sized cities

Subject Area Architecture, Building and Construction History, Construction Research, Sustainable Building Technology
City Planning, Spatial Planning, Transportation and Infrastructure Planning, Landscape Planning
Term from 2015 to 2018
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 269790291
 
Final Report Year 2018

Final Report Abstract

The research group developed and utilized a conceptual impact model to describe the process of the development of star architectural projects, the various outputs of these projects and the possible effects generated by these outputs. The effects investigated were economic, socio-cultural and morphological. The empirical findings of the multi-disciplinary research project indicate that while this isolation of effects serves the operationalization of research, the investigation of the impact of star architectural projects on their respective cities must draw on the intertwinement of the fields of economy, society and morphology. Although all three investigated projects have positive economic effects, for example expansion of tourism and cultural programs, these effects do not result in a clearly evident repositioning. A causal relationship between the economic effects of the projects and the socio-economic changes, for example in the labor market or in terms of tourism, was not found. Furthermore, not all economic effects are immediately visible. For example, in Wolfsburg, the realization of Phaeno led to an increase in the selfconfidence of the politicians and local administrative authorities. This social effect may also have positive economic effects on the city in the long term. Therefore, despite positive economic effects, the research findings do not indicate that these have led to a transformative repositioning of their respective cities, as hoped by the initiators. The legitimization of architecturally exceptional projects is often economically centered, but in terms of the repositioning of a city, social & morphological effects seem to be more pertinent. As cities compete with each other for businesses, visitors & residents, acquiring an economic position is a highly competitive affair. Within this process, the cultural sociological position of a city can be instrumentalized to support the competitive advantages of a city. However, the cultural position of a city might not follow the logic of competition with other cities, but rather that of distinction within a field or a city’s experiential character. In addition, the star status of architects was instrumental for the legitimization and realization of the exceptional architecture, but it did not result in accentuated media exposure of the cities. The findings of this research indicate that the impact of media exposure is qualitative rather than quantitative. In all three cases a shift in the spatial relationships of the city can be identified. These structural changes are the most long-term effects of these projects, economic and socio-cultural effects can often be temporary and ephemeral. Morphological effects are usually more stable and less dependent on the 'Star Factor'. The desire on the part of urban planners and politicians to achieve given impacts by means of star architecture must not overlook the contribution made by the architecture itself. In addition to economic and socio-cultural effects, the influence of star architecture on the city is spatial as well.

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