Cultural Heritage, Creativity, and Local
Development: A Scientific Research
Program
Roberta Capello, Silvia Cerisola and Giovanni Perucca
Abstract The present chapter reviews the recent studies of the ABC department
surrounding the role of cultural heritage and creativity on local economic development. The research line covers the interpretation of culture as a territorial asset, its
multifaceted dimensions, and impact on local development. An innovative definition
of cultural capital was provided, jointly with empirical evidence on the relationship between cultural heritage and intangible cultural elements. The most interesting
finding shows that culture, embedded within cultural heritage, plays a role in promoting prosperity only when tangible heritage is matched with intangible cultural
assets. Among such intangible assets, creativity is particularly analyzed in terms of
its link with the cultural heritage of places and their economic development. The
assumption, both conceptually and empirically investigated, is that culture promotes
creativity through emotional, esthetic, and inspirational mechanisms, driving individuals’ ability to doubt, innovate, and think critically. In other words, creativity is
an important mediator of the relationship between culture and socioeconomic development. Empirical evidence from Italian regions strongly supports this hypothesis.
Future research directions are presented in the concluding section.
Keywords Cultural heritage · Creativity · Local development
1 Introduction
The economic role of culture nowadays is well recognized. From this perspective,
culture does not just hold an esthetic and recreational value, as was the general
opinion for a long time, but also an economic value, which makes culture a territorial
asset of places.
R. Capello (B) · S. Cerisola · G. Perucca
Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering—ABC Department, Politecnico di
Milano, Milan, Italy
e-mail: roberta.capello@polimi.it
© The Author(s) 2020
S. Della Torre et al. (eds.), Regeneration of the Built Environment
from a Circular Economy Perspective, Research for Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33256-3_2
11
Development: A Scientific Research
Program
Roberta Capello, Silvia Cerisola and Giovanni Perucca
Abstract The present chapter reviews the recent studies of the ABC department
surrounding the role of cultural heritage and creativity on local economic development. The research line covers the interpretation of culture as a territorial asset, its
multifaceted dimensions, and impact on local development. An innovative definition
of cultural capital was provided, jointly with empirical evidence on the relationship between cultural heritage and intangible cultural elements. The most interesting
finding shows that culture, embedded within cultural heritage, plays a role in promoting prosperity only when tangible heritage is matched with intangible cultural
assets. Among such intangible assets, creativity is particularly analyzed in terms of
its link with the cultural heritage of places and their economic development. The
assumption, both conceptually and empirically investigated, is that culture promotes
creativity through emotional, esthetic, and inspirational mechanisms, driving individuals’ ability to doubt, innovate, and think critically. In other words, creativity is
an important mediator of the relationship between culture and socioeconomic development. Empirical evidence from Italian regions strongly supports this hypothesis.
Future research directions are presented in the concluding section.
Keywords Cultural heritage · Creativity · Local development
1 Introduction
The economic role of culture nowadays is well recognized. From this perspective,
culture does not just hold an esthetic and recreational value, as was the general
opinion for a long time, but also an economic value, which makes culture a territorial
asset of places.
R. Capello (B) · S. Cerisola · G. Perucca
Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering—ABC Department, Politecnico di
Milano, Milan, Italy
e-mail: roberta.capello@polimi.it
© The Author(s) 2020
S. Della Torre et al. (eds.), Regeneration of the Built Environment
from a Circular Economy Perspective, Research for Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33256-3_2
11