Art & The Urban Space

The present study focuses on the conceptualization of cultural districts or clusters. Its origins, development and features, partially based on the transposition of the theory on industrial districts, are reviewed. Therefore, the reasons behind the clustering tendencies of cultural industries are analysed. Moreover, the research examines the impact of these industries on the economic, social and urban realms of the city. To this end, a case study approach is applied. In particular, the theoretical assumptions derived from the literature are tested in the case of art galleries agglomerated in a little borough in Tuscany, Pietrasanta. Through a set of interviews conducted with participants in the artistic community of the town, the relation between art, art galleries and the urban space is investigated. The study sheds light on development patterns of cultural district and the relational dynamics among actors. In addition, it is found that art galleries are likely to cause gentrification generating increase in prices and displacement of commercial activities and residents. Finally, the findings suggest that art, and the ways in which it shapes the urban space, are in constant evolution.