Victimized after reading

After having several times the creative cities in Manu’s blog, I found a book on the subject: “Creative City: dynamics, innovation and actions” by Maurizio Carta .  I bought it.  The book has two parts: the first one clarifies parameters and values for creative cities; the second part is a review of experiences.

I still have not finished the second part, but while reading the first I started worrying about not being born in a creative city, or not being in a creative network.  And furthermore, is Santo Domingo an un-creative city?  Is it a stupid city?

Well, I don’t think Santo Domingo is a stupid city. It is a city with the problems many other developing-world cities have.  Nevertheless, regarding the three Cs (Culture, Communication and Cooperation) we still have some lacks.

When I think of it, I picture the Great Santo Domingo, with all its districts including Distrito Nacional. These makes the context more challenging to achieve the creative city concept –one that optimizes and promotes its identity, generating sustainable futures.  Governance is an almost unknown word in Distrito Nacional and all the others.  Seems like each one runs separately, and the same for the other provinces.  However connections exist.  Creativity businesses run in “informal economy” mode while culture activities spread slowly.

Is all this a biased comment?  Might be [Yes].  The point is that I felt we were not taken into account. 

Developing countries lack most of the mentioned Cs, yet they have the greatest urban growth rates and accumulate larger population than the listed CCs.  Even when we don’t have as many museums, events, banks or business’ headquarters, we move, we grow vertically and horizontally –and sometimes diagonally. People create and survive social injustice.  Why isn’t there a collective intelligence index that values society after so many years of reckless Gov’ts?  We would have a larger network than those listed CCs.

Writing like seems to be supporting the low-standard living as a very normal thing.  Well, I will be back with the subject later; maybe not so biased.  But tonight, while the book lays on the couch with its list of European cities on the back cover, I re-read my notes and graphs, and feel discriminated.

CCs = Creative cities