Examining the effects of culture-led urban redevelopment strategies on local music scenes and live venues

The thesis attempts to examine the process of culture-led redevelolment strategies employed in Rotterdam, and in particularly in Schiedblock area, that has been unraveling in these premises for the past ten years. For this purpose, a case study is developed in order to explore the development of the project, the role of culture in this development, its effects and sustainability, regarding the local music scenes and the live venues of the city. By examining the nature of the revitalization strategies, the relationship between the gentrification process and the commercialization of the venues in the area, and the peculiarities of the local music scenes, the thesis aims to investigate the sustainability of the redevelopment design itself and the implications on the local music scenes and venues, providing ground based evidence for the above mentioned issues. At first, the existing theory around the concept of culture-led regeneration strategies and the economic significance of local music scenes is applied in order to develop a framework and locate within this the city of Rotterdam and Schiedblock project. The data collection and analysis indicate the effects of these strategies on the local music settings and venues, demonstrating as a primary issue the uncertainty that the venues face operating in this precarious environment, and the stagnation of the development of the local talent and the local scenes as a direct outcome of the redevelopment strategies. These findings are based on three distinct samples, representing the municipality party, the party of venue owners and programmer and the local musicians’ party, as well as on expert discussions regarding the issue of gentrification in Rotterdam.