UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ UNeEEC, Maribor Aims, Impacts and Reception of Urban Regeneration in European Capitals of Culture: The Case of Tallinn2011 PhD Tuuli Lähdesmäki University of Jyväskylä, Finland

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Transformation of the ECOC initiative -The ECOC designation has transformed from a (high) cultural initiative into a significant social, political, and economic factor in the urban development. -Various ECOCs have used the program as a tool to revive the city e.g. by upgrading cultural institutions and their facilities modifying and modernizing squares and parks revitalizing less used or declined districts constructing new buildings for cultural use renewing streets, roads and the transportation system renovating old estates and heritage sites transforming empty industrial estates for the use of cultural industries -The EU´s latest ECOC decision emphasizes that the cultural program in the designated cities should "be sustainable and be an integral part of the long-term cultural development of the city".

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Urban regeneration as a multidisciplinary practise -The regeneration processes in the ECOCs are intertwined with several domains: cultural production, cultural policy, economy, identity construction, social well-being, media, and practices of everyday life in the city, such as transportation and the use of leisure time. -The regeneration projects offer tools for image building, place promotion, and city branding. -The recent trends in urban regeneration emphasize the role of local communities in the planning and implementation of regeneration projects. The community regeneration has become an integral part of urban regeneration.

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ The case: Tallinn2011 The scope: to analyze what kinds of meanings were produced for the regeneration projects in the planning and promotional material of Tallinn2011; to discuss what kinds of meanings are lacking from the material. Background: The seashore of Tallinn bears the marks of industrial decay and dereliction. The area used to be closed to the citizens – due to its use for industrial and military purposes during the Soviet regime – forming a barrier between the inner city and the sea. The ECOC designation was utilized in order to transform the city image and its identity into a ‘maritime city’. Thus, the major regeneration and urban transformation plans were focused on the previously closed seashore area.

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Cultural Kilometer

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Above: Cultural Kilometer. Below: Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia (CAME). Above: Cultural Cauldron Below: Exhibition in CAME.

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Above left: The Seaplane Harbour (Estonian Maritime Museum) Below left: Tallinn City Concert Hall Below right: "Pier" by Siiri Vallner and Indrek Peil.

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Regeneration discourses in Tallinn2011 -The investigation indicated several discourses through which the regeneration projects and their meanings at the seashore of Tallinn were defined: Europeanness urban culture creative industries real-estate values city image tourism civic participation -Meanings lacking from the data: local identity historical continuity

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Conclusions -In Tallinn, the ECOC designation functioned as a starting shot for the long-term regeneration and development of the seashore area, and thus its further forms, functions, and uses are still shaping up. -The planning and implementation of the regeneration projects has to be thoroughly prepared: the diverse meanings, values and needs related to urban regeneration have to be analyzed and the communication and interaction between different stakeholders should be encouraged. -There has to be a chance to develop and change the regeneration plans and their implementation if the cultural, social, economic, or environmental conditions in the area change. -In general, the changing meanings of the regenerated areas in the ECOCs should be more broadly investigated through the longitudinal research.