European Cities in a Global Era Introductory Text Today all European cities are strongly influenced by the processes of globalisation. On an economic level this has lead to intense competition between cities. Everybody tries to attract the same tourists, big companies and specialised employees. Most cities are trying to achieve a high rank in the global urban hierarchy. And to compete you need to differentiate yourself from the others. Identity has become an important means of competition. Meanwhile, the new economy creates new urban patterns on the map. Economic structures are increasingly concentrated at certain places in Europe. This challenges regional politicians as well as anyone else concerned about the social, economic and geographical unity in the European Union. As stressed by the ESDP (European Spatial Development Perspective), not only core-regions must be developed. Smaller cities can collaborate within polycentric regions, being creative, productive and growing. This has for many years been an issue for Interreg-projects all over Europe. In a cultural perspective, global influences have a double effect. Simultaneously threatening and reinforcing local identities. Planners are using different strategies to cope with this challenge. Many restructuring and regeneration projects in urban areas attempt to interpret local preconditions and make way for new identities to grow. Meanwhile, other local characteristics may more or less consciously be swept under the carpet. Identities cannot be understood without a notion on how they always disappear, hide, return and force each other back and forth. It is hard to define what makes some places grow strong identities while others seem to have just as many local characteristics as an international airport. A handful of world-famous architects build museums while entrepreneurs erect identical glass-and-steel-offices all over. We all eat fast food, watch the same movies and are so mobile that it doesn’t really matter where we are. Or does it? Why is it, that some cities seem to have a distinct atmosphere? And some neighbourhoods give people a strong sense of identification with the place? Some historical city centres seem to be built out of layers of time, while others apparently have more in common with theatre wings than places for real-life. When branding themselves, cities often refer to the image of the tourist. The idyllic city centre, as seen through the eyes of the outsider, serves as a trademark. Other cities are labelled in accordance with their favourite line of business, as "finance-city" or "cultural metropolis". The majority of the natives - on a European scale the majority of city-dwellers live in suburbs - may have a completely different opinion on what the city is. In fact, identities cannot be agreed upon objectively. A fixed identity will always exclude others. And yet, we all agree that Venice is something other than Frankfurt, Helsinki or Brussels. During the Danish EU Presidency the Ministry of the Environment invites you to further discussions about globalisation’s cultural and economic impact on the city. This conference investigates possibilities for strengthening urban identities and interplay with the region. Focussing on selected cases we welcome politicians, planners, scholars and others interested in the future role of the European city, to explore possible ways to benefit from globalisation. The conference is connected to the Copenhagen X exhibition. Both conference and exhibition are sponsored by Fonden Realdania Program Registration
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