The impact of cultural events on city image: Rotterdam, cultural capital of Europe 2001

Richards, Greg; Wilson, Julie

Abstract

Cities are increasingly using cultural events to improve their image, stimulate urban development and attract visitors and investment. As part of its event-led regeneration strategy, Rotterdam staged the 'Cultural Capital of Europe' event in 2001. The aims were to attract visitors and to stimulate cultural consumption among residents, while positioning Rotterdam as a cultural destination. Over 2000 questionnaire responses by resident and non-resident visitors to the Cultural Capital event were used to evaluate the image effects of the event. In depth interviews were also undertaken with policy-makers and cultural managers, to permit evaluation of survey findings in the context of richer qualitative material. The image of the city as a cultural destination did improve in 2001, but the physical and tangible elements of the city's image (modern architecture, water) and its character as the working city of the Netherlands continued to dominate. © 2004 The Editors of Urban Studies.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2004
• Journal: Urban Studies
• Print ISSN: 0042-0980
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 41
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 1931-1951
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0042098042000256323
• Keywords: cultural events, city image, Rotterdam, cultural capital, Europe, 2001
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1062726
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0042098042000256323
• Additional Information: Additional Information : Equal co-author. This article arose from a collaboration funded by the British Council Netherlands and NWO / UK-Netherlands Partnership Programme in Science awarded to Wilson in 2002 for a research visit to Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tilburg University, the Netherlands.