Local Development

Turismo de eventos y patrimonio: entre el ocio y el negocio

by Francesc González Reverté

Reflexión acerca de como los eventos pueden funcionar como atractivo turístico para destinos muy diversos, generar... more Reflexión acerca de como los eventos pueden funcionar como atractivo turístico para destinos muy diversos, generar dinámicas de desarrollo local y regional, contribuir a políticas de regeneración urbana o actuar como palanca de desarrollo cultural

Cultural events and tourism development in Catalonia

by Francesc González Reverté

Draft
Co-authored with Oriol Miralbell-Izard

This paper explains the way that the events with rates based on cultural heritage (tangible and intangible) are... more This paper explains the way that the events with rates based on cultural heritage (tangible and intangible) are generated for dynamic development. The capacity to generate events in development is understood here in a wide sense, so it will take into account both economic and social impacts. The structure includes the following sections. First we make a conceptual reflection about what are the vectors that allow the use of culture and heritage (and therefore cultural events) as an argument for tourism development. Second, we describe the importance and outline the main features of tourist cultural events in Catalonia. In the last section we explain the effects that events have on local development through the analysis of different indicators. Finally, we review the main contributions of the paper and outline the challenges of integrating events in Catalan tourist policy.

"Community governance as a response to economic crisis"

by Alessandro Sancino

Small Towns and Big Business: Challenging Wal‐Mart Superstores. By Stephen Halebsky. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. Pp. xii+ 235. $80.00.

by Todd Matthews

Book review in American Journal of Sociology (2010)

New tourisms and cultural processes in local development

by Rita Salvatore

WP 4 - This paper set outs some of the thinking developed during a national sociological research project (PRIN 2004)... more WP 4 - This paper set outs some of the thinking developed during a national sociological research project (PRIN 2004) coordinated by the University of Teramo about “Innovations in the development local systems of the Third Italy”. In particular, it refers to the role local productions can play in the configuration of new patterns of development based on the tourist valorisation of territorial resources. The idea these processes might lead towards the shaping of some “Districts of Taste” has been hypothesized. A typical mark within contemporary consumption experiences is that people have begun to look for what can be perceived both as unique and authentic. By choosing to consume a typical product instead of a standardized one, they can express a “taste choice”, able to perform a distance from mass culture products, often considered as anonymous, tasteless (even kitsch), and meaningless in terms of intellectual interest.
WP 5 - Within national parks’ latest regulatory innovations and thanks to the opportunities offered by eco–tourism, anthropic component is gaining a new pivotal role. In fact, whilst in the past men were considered as being guilty for destroying environment, now they are becoming themselves a resource to be enhanced. This kind of process is at the core of the configuration of more sustainable patterns of development, aiming to be considered as the more appropriate instrument for the revitalization of those areas (especially the mountain ones) which were reduced to marginalization both on a demographic and a social level, because of emigration flows towards big cities. A case study conducted in the National Park of Gran Sasso and Laga Mountains has offered to the researcher the opportunity to focus on the opportunities as well as on the critical situations that such a pattern can outline with regard to local communities.

State owned enterprises, entrepreneurship and local development: A case from Turkey

by Murat Cokgezen

unpublished manuscript

This study has examined the results of SOE policy by comparing two provinces in Turkey, one that was a would-be... more This study has examined the results of SOE policy by comparing two provinces in Turkey, one that was a would-be beneficiary of this policy and the other not. Statistical data and anecdotal evidence from in-depth interviews show that the SOEs increased labor costs, discouraged private entrepreneurship and guided locals to political, rather than productive solutions to their economic problems; regional development in the province in which SOEs dominated the regional economy was hindered. These results are in line with the reported outcomes of SOE policy adopted by Italian governments in order to promote development in southern Italy.

Influencia de la localización sobre la rentabilidad de los negocios de pequeños productores agrícolas usuarios del Programa PRODESAL

by Ignacio Moncayo

El PRODESAL es un programa de fomento productivo que permite, mediante un convenio entre INDAP y los municipios... more El PRODESAL es un programa de fomento productivo que permite, mediante un convenio entre INDAP y los municipios rurales, la entrega de asesoría técnica y capital de inversión para los pequeños productores agrícolas con menor grado de desarrollo productivo. El estudio evaluó la influencia de variables determinantes de la localización sobre la rentabilidad de los negocios de pequeños productores usuarios del PRODESAL durante una temporada agrícola. Se utilizó la información productiva proveniente de una encuesta realizada para la temporada 2007-2008 a usuarios de 243 comunas de Chile. Se consideró la información proveniente de los rubros frutales, cultivos anuales, hortalizas en invernadero y al aire libre. Se observó, de manera consistente con la teoría, que las variables relacionadas a la localización territorial de las explotaciones, tales como tamaño del mercado, población y nivel de desarrollo, tienen una influencia positiva sobre la rentabilidad de los rubros estudiados. De manera inversa, la distancia que separa a las explotaciones rurales de los centro de consumo, mostró una influencia negativa sobre el resultado de los negocios.

Design, crafts and local development in the Canary Islands: case studies and strategic programs

by Carlos Jimenez

Carlos Jimenez (1,2) y Alfonso Ruiz (2)

1. Professor, ESDi Design School Ramon Llull University
2. Faculty of Fine Arts, University of La Laguna

The Canary Islands (Spain) are located in the Atlantic Ocean
more than one thousand kilometres south of the... more The Canary Islands (Spain) are located in the Atlantic Ocean
more than one thousand kilometres south of the Iberian
Peninsula off the northwest coast of Africa. Their recognition
as an Ultra-Peripheral Region by the European Union
attempts to alleviate some of the disadvantages with respect
to the mainland, such as their remoteness, insularity, external
economic dependency and other factors derived from their
colonial heritage. In contrast, they have long been considered
the Fortunate Islands due to the different kinds of endogenous
resources present, including being a world biodiversity hot
spot and having a mild spring-like climate throughout the year.
However, past and existing development models – which for the
last four decades – have been mainly based on massive sun and
sand tourism and construction activity to the detriment of other
crucial sectors that help promote the long term sustainability of
the islands. The obvious and differential fact that the islands are
a clearly limited, insular system has been ignored time and time
again.
To better understand the current implications for Design (Practice, Research and Education) and Local Development with Crafts and material culture in the Canary Islands, three major events in history should be briefly highlighted:
a) The former inhabitants, aborigines, were mainly shepherds
and farmers, living within a Neolithic culture when the Spanish
conquered the islands at the end of 15th century. They didn’t know about metals but were skilled weavers, tanners and potters.
b) Once having joined the Kingdom of Spain, farming and crafts
for subsistence were combined with a new economic model
based on single-crop cultivation for external trade (consecutively
sugar cane, wine, carmine from cochineal, tomatoes, bananas
were introduced). The Archipelago became a stopping off point
for adventurers, traders and merchants on their way to the ‘New
world’, which brought periods of wealth and prosperity to some
social sectors.

c) As a way of dealing with various farming crises,
therapy-oriented tourism emerged in the late 19th
century as a new opportunity for development. This has
evolved into a massive sun and sand tourism industry
since around the sixties of the 20th century until today,
where the service sector is the main economic driving
force making up 32% of the GDP and construction
nearly 20% of the GDP. The Canary Islands (2 millions
inhabitants) receive about 10 million tourists per year.
However, the current international economic crisis
situates the Canary Islands at the forefront of Spanish
unemployment rates (27% of the working population).
This is mainly due to, among other things, a lack of
diversification of the economy with a huge number
of unskilled jobs and made worse by an average
school dropout rate of around 37% (double that of the
European Union).

La contribución del Diseño en los procesos de Desarrollo Local Sostenible: el Campus de Verano de las Artes de Guía como estudio de caso en Canarias

by Carlos Jimenez

Carlos Jimenez Martinez* y Juan Manuel Marín (Unidad de Producto e Interiorismo. Escola Superior de Disseny ESDi). Publicado en CONAMA 9: Congreso Nacional de Medio Ambiente

La presente comunicación analiza el potencial contributivo de la Cultura del Diseño en los procesos de Desarrollo... more La presente comunicación analiza el potencial contributivo de la Cultura del Diseño en los procesos de Desarrollo Local Sostenible en marcha en las Islas Canarias. Para ello, se
profundiza en el estudio del caso 'Campus de Verano de las Artes de Guía, Luján Pérez (CVAG)'; un evento teórico-práctico, formativo, divulgativo y productivo de Arte, Diseño, Comunicación y Didáctica, de carácter universitario, ámbito internacional y bajo la modalidad de becas en estancia. La hipótesis principal es la consideración del Campus como laboratorio pionero de I+D+i al servicio de la comunidad y el territorio de influencia cuya metodología y resultados permiten ser modelizados para convertirse en una herramienta útil extrapolable a contextos de similares características socioeconómicas.
Finalmente, se presentan algunas de las propuestas de acción más significativas surgidas de la colaboración con la comunidad local a lo largo de las ediciones del 2007 y 2008 en el seno del Taller de Ecodiseño del CVAG.

Territorial Strategic Planning as a support instrument for Regional and Local Development: a comparative analysis between Lisbon and Barcelona Metropolitan Areas

by Bruno M. Pereira Marques

MARQUES, B.P. (2011) "Territorial Strategic Planning as a support instrument for Regional and Local Development: a comparative analysis between Lisbon and Barcelona Metropolitan Areas", in Actas do 17.º Congresso da APDR, Bragança, pp. 1265-1272, ISBN 978-989-96353-2-6.

The present work has the purpose of making a comparative analysis of local development processes at a metropolitan... more The present work has the purpose of making a comparative analysis of local development processes at a metropolitan scale, territories whose administrative and institutional limits do not always match with their political and economic identity and are inserted in global processes of socioeconomic transformation. The main purpose of this work is to analyze and understand the competitive advantages that the local and metropolitan political powers have over the Central State in what may concern the creation of favorable measures for companies’ productivity and competitiveness; analyze new forms of democratic political participation, namely around the so-called Territorial Governance. In terms of Territorial Strategic Planning, the focus has been, frequently, in the realization of great cultural and sport events and in urban rehabilitation. In this sense, the perspective will be more centered in the analysis of processes that lead to Local Development Initiatives in the fields of Education, Professional Formation or support for Entrepreneurship, rather then more “traditionalist” analysis. Given the nature of the present work, a Master Degree Project Work, the practical component will be postponed for future Doctoral studies. Nevertheless, we have the intention of testing some hypothesis, more in Lisbon Metropolitan Area, then Barcelona Metropolitan Area, namely throughout statistical data analysis and interviews to local actors.

Diagnosi de les TIC a Parets del Vallès

by Jordi Bonet Martí

Diagnosi elaborat pel Pla Director Participatiu de la Societat del Coneixement per l'Ajuntament de Parets del Vallès... more Diagnosi elaborat pel Pla Director Participatiu de la Societat del Coneixement per l'Ajuntament de Parets del Vallès sobre la situació de les TIC al municipi

O Planeamento Estratégico Territorial como um Instrumento de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Local e Regional. Algumas reflexões no âmbito do Trabalho de Projecto de Mestrado

by Bruno M. Pereira Marques

MARQUES, B.P. (2011) "O Planeamento Estratégico Territorial como um Instrumento de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Local e Regional. Algumas reflexões no âmbito do Trabalho de Projecto de Mestrado", in Actas do VIII Congresso da Geografia Portuguesa, Lisboa, 6 pages, ISBN 978-972-99436-4-5.

The present work represents the synthesis of a Master Degree Project Work to be developed, which is also a first... more The present work represents the synthesis of a Master Degree Project Work to be developed, which is also a first hypothesis for a future Doctorate. In this sense, among its central goals are the purpose of making a comparative analysis of local development processes at a metropolitan scale, namely the competitive advantages that local and metropolitan political powers may have over the Central State in what concerns the creation of favorable measures for companies’ productivity and competitiveness, as well as the study of new forms of democratic political participation, namely around Territorial Governance. Although not analyzed in this article, we pretend to use Lisbon and Barcelona Metropolitan Areas as future case-studies.

Baixa de Lisboa e Vila de Oeiras: uma viagem do passado ao futuro através de um símbolo partilhado - uma proposta de projecto de turismo e competitividade urbana

by Bruno M. Pereira Marques

Co-authored with Judite Lourenço Reis and Sónia Paulo Cardoso

REIS, J.L., CARDOSO, S.P. and MARQUES, B.P. (2011) "Baixa de Lisboa e Vila de Oeiras: uma viagem do passado ao futuro através de um símbolo partilhado - uma proposta de projecto de turismo e competitividade urbana", in Actas do VIII Congresso da Geografia Portuguesa, Lisboa, 6 pages, ISBN 978-972-99436-4-5.

Each period has always had its challenges and, in an unanimous way, we recognize that hard and unstable times require,... more Each period has always had its challenges and, in an unanimous way, we recognize that hard and unstable times require, even more, energetic and reflected strategies, as well as synergy. In spite of knowing that there are no “revenues” ready to be applied, we also know that there are foresight attitudes; That there are identities which can be built, symbols that can be given birth to or revive, in a way that can be rescued from the past. So this is our suggestion, which allies two distinct territories: Lisbon Downtown and Oeiras Village. An identity mediated by one of our biggest personalities from the past – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo – that uses a material legacy and symbolic representations which were recorded there. These places will be the guideline to a winner tourism project; A symbol which prints a territorial and competitive dynamic.

El rol de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil

by vera diogo

El turisme com a estratègia de desenvolupament local. Introducció al turisme de proximitat

by Inma Díaz

Director: Joan Carles Llurdés
Treball de recerca del Master en Estudis Territorials i de la Població.

Tourism has traditionally been considered as the activity that allows people to live non-usual experiences in... more Tourism has traditionally been considered as the activity that allows people to live non-usual experiences in non-usual places through mobility. Nowadays, when landscape is understood as every place perceived as it by a community, when the globalization of information makes easier the knowledge of further places than usual ones, and when sustainability is the new politics framework, also in tourism, a tourist offer to closer and, at the same time, unknown places seems relevant in order to beat tourism’ seasonal constraints and increase the value of usual environments. This last goal is an essential step forward to a development from local scale and, for this reason, this paper tries to study how endogen resources appreciation from a tourist activity can encourage an integrative and participative development process.

A quince años del levantamiento zapatista: alcances y retos de un movimiento local en la edad global

by Geoffrey Pleyers

Revista de Ciencias Sociales, N° 125, pp. 11-22, 2009

Este artículo propone un balance del zapatismo considerado como un “movimiento de experiencia”. Si bien su impacto en la política mexicana ha sido limitado, los zapatistas lograron construir espacios autónomos donde ponen en práctica formas alternativas de organización colectiva y de relaciones sociales. Desempeñaron un proceso de profunda transformación de sus comunidades, teniendo la dignidad y la autonomía como ejes centrales. Sin embargo, la voluntad de centrar el movimiento en sus raíces locales y de dedicar la mayoría de su energía a un proceso de transformación local no significa que los alcances y desafíos del zapatismo se limitan al nivel local. Los insurgentes consideran, al contrario, que desarrollar alternativas prácticas en el nivel local es la clave de un cambio global de mayor alcance. Por lo tanto, el movimiento zapatista conlleva dos tendencias distintas pero complementarias: la primera se dedica a la construcción de una autonomía local y al auto-gobierno de las comunidades, mientras la segunda busca ser un actor protagónico en la escena social y política nacional e internacional.

This article proposes a balance of the Zapatista movement considered as a “movement of experience”. While their impact... more This article proposes a balance of the Zapatista movement considered as a “movement of experience”. While their impact on Mexican policies has been limited, the Zapatista have managed to build autonomous spaces where they implement alternative forms of collective organizations and social relations. Their communities have undergone a process of deep change based on two core values of the Zapatista movement: dignity
and autonomy. However, the will that the movement is based on strong local roots and on a process of local transformation, it does not mean that its challenges are limited to the local level. Their struggle is properly universal and global, but they consider
the development of alternative practices at the local level to be the key element of any global change. The Zapatista movement relies thus on a complex combination between two distinct trends: one focuses on the building of local autonomy while the
other remains very active on the national and international social and political arena.

Revitalização de áreas industriais tendo por base a definição de estratégias de desenvolvimento do turismo

by Zelia Breda

Co-authored with Costa, R. & Costa, C. and published in G. Seabra et al. (Eds.) (2007). Identidade Cultural e Desenvolvimento Local (Vol. 3, pp. 867-874). Actas do X Encontro Nacional de Turismo de Base Local. João Pessoa: Universidade João Pessoa. (ISNN 1808-9755)

O sector do turismo tem vindo a evoluir de uma forma excepcional. A sua dinâmica e importância económica faz com que... more O sector do turismo tem vindo a evoluir de uma forma excepcional. A sua dinâmica e importância económica faz com que este sector tenha vindo a ascender a prioridade estratégica em vários países, e em Portugal particularmente. O impacte económico produzido pelo sector do turismo ao nível nacional é de grande relevância. Contudo, deve tomar-se em consideração que os verdadeiros impactes criados pelo turismo são de nível local. Neste sentido é fundamental que o nível local possua uma maior intervenção ao nível do sector do turismo, de forma a geri-lo e planeá-lo criteriosamente. Os municípios devem dotar-se de instrumentos efectivos e eficientes de gestão do território. Devem possuir indicadores fiáveis em termos das suas capacidades de oferta e procura que lhes permitam obter um conhecimento da forma como o turismo se desenvolve dentro das suas fronteiras, e lhes possibilite actuar e perspectivar as dinâmicas de crescimento e desenvolvimento em termos futuros. O principal objectivo deste artigo é analisar um estudo de caso prático realizado pelo grupo de investigação da Universidade de Aveiro no âmbito do Plano Estratégico de Desenvolvimento do Turismo para o concelho do Seixal. Pretende-se apresentar a estratégia de desenvolvimento definida para uma área urbana localizada nos limites de uma metrópole, Lisboa. O referido Plano Estratégico encontra-se também a ser analisado como um exemplo de boas práticas ao nível local, de uma tese de doutoramento em turismo.

Clustering and networking the tourism development process: A market driven approach for a small backwards tourist region located in central Portugal (Caramulo)

by Zelia Breda

Co-authored with Costa, R., & Costa, C. and published in C. Petrillo & J. Sawrbrooke (Eds.) (2005). Networking and partnerships in destination development and management (Vol. II, pp. 469-484). Proceedings of the Atlas Annual Conference 2004. Naples: Enzo Albano. (ISBN 88-89677-03-1)

This paper focuses on the development of networks and partnerships in the tourism sector as a means to respond to... more This paper focuses on the development of networks and partnerships in the tourism sector as a means to respond to challenges posed by constant transformations occurring within the global market. How a region can grow and develop using its endogenous resources is one of the main issues addressed. This is especially important for peripheral areas, usually located outside traditional tourist routes and lacking the adequate growth dynamics. The public sector can play a significant role in the process of economic growth of those areas. However sustained growth could be achieved by private enterprises through networking and clustering, being also important public-private partnerships. The Regional Tourism Policy Program Anchored on Private Sector Investment constitutes an innovative methodology intended to promote tourism development in Portugal, encouraging the emergence of strong relationships between public and private organizations and representing an important instrument for the development of regions which are in most cases remote and structurally weak. Having as basis the philosophy of this program, the paper will focus on clustering and networking the tourism development process on a small backwards region in Portugal located in an inland area (Caramulo).

O turismo enquanto agente de transformação sócio-espacial: O caso de Goa

by Zelia Breda

Co-authored with Costa, C. and published in Revista Turismo & Desenvolvimento (2010), 13/14(1), 27-39. (ISSN 1645-9261)

O turismo em Goa, enquanto actividade económica, encontra as suas origens na década de 1960, quando hippies ocidentais... more O turismo em Goa, enquanto actividade económica, encontra as suas origens na década de 1960, quando hippies ocidentais descobriram as suas praias inexploradas, a sua atmosfera descontraída e rural, e drogas facilmente acessíveis a baixo custo. Contudo, a natureza letárgica de Goa só começou a mudar em meados dos anos 1980, com o estabelecimento de voos charter, introduzindo no território um novo tipo de turismo. A promoção e comercialização de Goa como um importante destino turístico internacional resultaram num número de visitantes muito superior ao número de residentes locais, excedendo a capacidade de carga do território. Ao mesmo tempo que Goa sofre os impactes destas grandes mudanças, continua a ser fortemente promovida como um paraíso turístico. Deste modo, o território enfrenta o desafio de tentar equilibrar as vantagens económicas do turismo com as questões ambientais e a mudança inevitável de seu tecido sociocultural. Este artigo procura apresentar e discutir o desenvolvimento de Goa enquanto destino turístico, examinando os impactes socioculturais, económicos e ambientais provocados por esse desenvolvimento.

Abstract
Tourism as an economic activity in Goa can be traced back to the 1960s, when many Western hippy travellers discovered its untouched beaches, its laid-back and rural atmosphere, and easily found drugs at little cost. However, the lethargic nature of Goa only began to change in the mid 1980s with the establishment of charter flights, introducing to the territory a new type of tourism. The packaging of Goa as a major international tourist destination resulted in the number of visitors far exceeding the number of residents and also the region’s carrying capacity. At the same time that Goa falls under the impact of massive change, it keeps being vigorously promoted as a tourist paradise. Goa is therefore facing the challenge of balancing tourism’s economic advantages with environmental issues and the inevitable change of its character. This paper tries to discuss the development of Goa as a tourist destination, examining at the same time the socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts of such tourism development.

Territories in action, territories for action: the territorial dimension of Italian local development policies

by Carlo Salone

published in 'International Journal of Urban and Regional Research', Volume 28.4 December 2004, 796-818