Since the 1980s, "image" has become an important aspect of the urban
economy. Policy makers have shown an increasing interest in the cultural sector
- especially in former industrial cities where manufacturing industries have
closed down, instead culture is being explored in order to create economic
growth, a growth that formerly was created by the manufacturing industry.
Culture is becoming more and more the business of cities. The contemporary
city has become a site for entertainment industry and architectural design.
By bolstering the city's image as a centre of cultural innovation, art, design
etc. cities compete for tourist dollars, financial investments, know how and so
on. Cities have always been centres for culture and art but what's new is the
scope and scale of selling images on a national and global level and the role of
symbolic economy when representing the city.
One of the means in order to put the city on the national or global map is
through flagship projects (spectacular architecture) and different events. When
talking about placing the city on the map it is also meant to place the city in the
limelight of the media. The more the city is seen in the media the better for
many reasons (economical, social) - due
