Fashion Week in Paris and London, the Venice Biennale, and the nineteenth-century Viennese scientific community  may seem wildly disparate, but each represent the cultural possibilities of an international metropolis. Creative Urban Milieus is an interdisciplinary examination of the historical relationship between culture and the economy in such cities as Berlin, New York, Helsinki, London, Venice, and many others. This groundbreaking work investigates the contributions of the creative class to the urban renaissance, contextualized by historical examples from the eighteenth century to the present day.
Skeptical of the current euphoria surrounding the commercialization of culture, a distinguished group of contributors apply a comparative and historical perspective to probe how creative works have affected the global economy.  Drawing on lessons from urban planning, art history, and cultural spectacles alike, Creative Urban Milieus will change the way we think about the symbiotic relationship between cities and innovation.

 

 

Martina Heßler is professor of cultural history and history of technology at the Offenbach Academy of Arts and Design in Main, Germany.
Clemens Zimmermann is professor of cultural history and media history at Saarland University, Germany.