The biggest port city in France, Marseille is a city has suffered from economic backwardness, negative city image and the conflict derived from diverse population composition since 1960s. After 1995, however, the city has successfully implemented its ...
The biggest port city in France, Marseille is a city has suffered from economic backwardness, negative city image and the conflict derived from diverse population composition since 1960s. After 1995, however, the city has successfully implemented its efforts to regenerate the city by combining its geopolitical condition of Mediterranean port city with its culture. An urban regeneration project, ``Euro Mediterranee`` has changed the image of the city enormously by constricting cultural facilities such as Europe-Mediterranean Civilization Museum which is the first one built outside of Paris, Mediterranean community Center and Community Fund for Modern Art as well as office districts, residential districts and commercial districts. In addition, designated as the ``Culture Capital of Europe`` in 2013, the city has been able to revitalize its economy and build image as a cultural city by attracting 11 million visitors with cultural events of massive scale. The case of Marseille demonstrates the role of culture in the regeneration of local city, importance of cooperation between central government and local municipality and establishment of democratic collective governance, possibility of localization of cultural facilities and importance of participation of citizens in the construction of a cultural city. And yet, questions are being raised if the city can build a status as a cultural and creative city in the future as it has not displayed much of a cultural prospect since 2013.