The long-term effects of the European Capital of Culture program: a longitudinal study of Sibiu 2007

Due to the major ongoing global and regional changes that have occurred in recent decades, the concerns for culture have been embodied into policies, programs and strategies of various types and have gained significant importance, varying in distinct proportions from country to country, from one period to another. The European Capital of Culture program (henceforth, ECOC) is one of them. As the cultural sector has shifted towards a more market oriented approach due to cuts in subsidies, it is an engaging exercise to explore not only the economic consequences that follow such a program, but also the social impact that the ECOC has on the citizens of the participating community and their cultural life. By taking into account concepts such as cultural policy, tourism and urban regeneration, the following research concentrates on exploring whether the ECOC program has created cultural, economic and social long-term effects in the 2007 ECOC Sibiu, and on investigating those effects. While measuring these developments, one can notice the multitude of factors that need to be taken into consideration, such as statistical data regarding the evolution of tourism or the evolution of cultural events that demonstrate the longitudinal evolution of these factors, as well as the community’s point of view revealed through questionnaires. Therefore, this thesis is written by integrating both quantitative and qualitative methods, as the mixed method research has become “increasingly common in recent years” (Bryman, 2006), and also because this method represents the best way of following Sibiu’s evolution. The first analytical part starts by accounting Romania’s concept of culture in order to create an adequate contextual framework for the evolution and the analysis of Romanian cultural policy. Subsequently, the cultural policy developments in the post-2007 era also represent an important part of the analysis. The second analytical section deals with the evolution of cultural tourism in Sibiu, both in the pre-ECOC era and in the post-2007 stage. Ultimately, the third analytical section primarily aims to assess the urban regeneration developments in the case of Sibiu, and their consequences in the post-ECOC timeframe. The results of the questionnaire complete the other methods employed in this research and aim to provide the community of Sibiu with a voice. The main findings show that the ECOC program has produced a series of long-term effects in some areas, while in others not much has evolved. In the case of cultural policy, Sibiu’s local authorities managed to create after 2007 two new strategies aimed at developing the county’s cultural sector. When it comes to tourism, after 2007, the number of tourists increased, as well as the accommodation facilities and the employment rate. The urban regeneration process took place only in the center of the city, by mainly focusing on its historical center. After 2007, the local administration started developing new areas around Sibiu’s periphery, rather than concentrating on rehabilitating its existent neighborhoods. Eventually, Sibiu’s visibility has increased both on a national and international level while the local community’s sense of pride has intensified.