Il distretto come modello di sviluppo delle identità paesistico-culturali. Aspetti teorico-metodologici e caso di studio

The District as Development Model of Landscape-Cultural Identities. Theoretical-Methodological Aspects and Case Study. In recent year, systems and cultural districts have become not only an explication of peculiar territorial milieu and context but also an eloquent addressing and indication of economic policy (Santagata, 2001). National governments and international institutions are oriented to re-consider the function of cultural sector in the economic development processes for many reasons: the crisis of the traditional sectors; the growing relevance of the information and communication sector (Information Communication Technology) in the overall economy; the revenues generated by the cultural industry. Making cultural activities as driving sector of local economy and development may be attributed to the Greater London Council (GLC), an institutional body abolished by Margaret Thatcher in 1986. During the seventies, it set-out a strategy based upon real experiences (Valentino, 2003), such as: the Rive Gauche or the area of Montmartre in Paris; Soho and West End in London; Greenwich Village and Soho in New York. The strategy of economic development driven and supported by the cultural industry has been afterwards successfully tested in other European and international contexts. Today, it is at the center of the debate for its important implications on the economic growth (cultural driven) of local systems. The paper is theoretical-methodological in nature, and aims to: recall, briefly, the most significant aspects of the economic theory concerning the cultural districts; outline, with Case Studies, the main steps of a methodological process to investigate the existence of a cultural district and to design a strategic plan-program of actions for its treasuring and development; single-out among the groups of valuation methods, the most appropriate one to verify the feasibility of the strategic plan-program. Valuation can give a significant contribution to pursue the general objective of economic growth. Particularly in less-developed areas, by supporting private and public decision makers, who are responsible for visioning, i.e. the ideation of future scenarios to be translated into strategies of economic development and able to treasure the human and territorial resources of local communities. Despite many sectoral strategies have been launched, results have not always met the expectations to transform the territorial landscape-cultural systems into a stimulus for the local economic development processes. The knowledge of the local landscape-cultural identities and the valuation of their inclination to create further value are instead the indispensable conditions to realistically base the visions of future development.