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Vid. Recital 6 et seq, and more in particular art. 2 concerning the general and specific objectives of the
action. Decision No 445/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014
establishing a Union action for the European Capitals of Culture for the years 2020 to 2033 and repealing
Decision No 1622/2006/EC. 3.5.2014, Official Journal of the European Union, L 132.
Last, but not least, the Communication “Towards an integrated approach to cultural
heritage for Europe” recognises Europe’s cultural heritage as “an irreplaceable
repository of knowledge and a valuable resource for economic growth, employment
and social cohesion. In addition to its spillover effects on other economic sectors,
the document points out that “Heritage has a great capacity to promote social
cohesion and integration, through regeneration of neglected areas, creation of locally-
rooted jobs, and promotion of shared understanding and a sense of community” (EC
2014).The Communication identifies the needs of cultural heritage and provides an
overview to the different EU actions and possibilities in this field.
Different EU initiatives and programmes have been set up to increase the build on
the potential of the CCS for local development. Among them the recent EC project
“Culture for Cities and Regions” aims to examine existing practices of culture as a
key element in local and regional development strategies. It will also enable the
exchange and transfer of knowledge, to better understand successful examples of
cultural investment, and to go into the details of policy planning and implementation.
The culture-led approach is also embedded in the new European legal
framework of the European Capital of Culture initiative that for the period
starting in 2019 requires cities to integrate the event in their local strategies, to
embed the cultural and creative sector in the bidding and implementation
processes and to refer to the “envisaged long-term cultural, social and economic
impact, including urban development, that the title would have on the candidate
city” (art. 5) .
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2.4 Culture-led development for small and medium-sized cities
2.4.1 Small and medium-sized cities in the European urban fabric
The EU’s territorial system is characterised by a large diversity of spatial settlements
that range from rural, less populated areas to SMSC to larger urban areas more
densely populated (INTELI 2011. Distinguishing it from other large economic areas
such as Japan or the United States, the European Union features a cultural variety
concentrated in a small areas, which constitutes a relevant development potential
(EC 1999) and contributes significantly to its identity.
In the EU’s polycentric spatial system, SMSC concentrate approximately 60% of the
EU’s population: small urban areas of 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants represent around
40% of the EU’s population, whereas medium-sized cities of 50,000 to 250,000
inhabitants correspond to 20%. SMSC feature a unique territorial capital and identity
