“Just Happy Faces”: Cultural Resilience and Circularity in Rotterdam

With the prevalence of resilience and circularity in academic studies and policymaking, there is a need to explore their relationship for sustainable development. Within these two fields, attention to culture and its potential roles has been lacking. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the experiences and circular practices of the cultural sector in Rotterdam. It seeks to understand their adaptive tactics for building resilience and their connection to urban circularity. Guided by a theoretical framework analysing artistic gentrification, circular city discourse, and cultural resilience, the research utilises 11 in-depth semi-structured interviews to identify coping tactics employed by cultural organisations in response to social, economic, and spatial challenges. The analysis reveals three key areas of adaptive tactics: the importance of networks and collaboration, the role of community engagement in strengthening resilience, and the utilisation of circular practices to rationalise limited resources. The discussion highlights the nuances surrounding resilience and circularity in the cultural sector, questioning their grounded reality and emphasising their selective nature. It underscores the intermediary role of the cultural sector in connecting with communities, enhancing the right to the city, and promoting place-based collaborations and neighbourhood learning. Based on the findings, five policy recommendations are proposed: establishing place-based collaborations, facilitating grassroots initiatives, fostering inclusive area development, promoting transversal collaboration within the municipality, and building a multi-value system beyond market-oriented value measurement.