Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as part of the MA in Art, Law and Economy at the International Hellenic University. Culture has become a substantial part of urban regeneration strategies worldwide since the 1990s, as many cities suffered from the negative effects of deindustrialization and needed a different approach for their revitalization. The first cultural approaches in regeneration strategies included the implementation of large-scale projects, that were consumption-oriented and focused on creating spectacular events, such as flagship constructions and cultural mega-events. The next step in culture-led regeneration was the creation of cultural clusters in the urban fabric, namely spatial agglomerations of cultural institutions and other facilities that created mixed-use areas in the city. The latest cultural approach is the creation of creative clusters, that are more production-oriented and promote the creative industries and professionals through the spatial proximity and functional connections. After presenting three examples of European cities that implemented different cultural approaches in their regeneration strategies, Bilbao – flagship projects, Liverpool – cultural mega-event and Rotterdam – museum cluster and cultural axis, this dissertation aims at examining the cultural approaches that have been used for the regeneration in Thessaloniki. Thus, identifying the spatial transformations in the city that occurred through culture and what are the future prospects for the city. Moreover, the role of cultural institutions in the public space will be addressed and how the audience interacts with the public space through cultural activities.