What about the workers? Mismatches in urban cultural policy
Published: 1 December 2025
Cities are more than concrete infrastructures designed by architects, urban planners or policy-makers. Artists and creatives have much to contribute to the collective imagination and affective experience of urban life.
Cities are more than concrete infrastructures designed by architects, urban planners or policy-makers. Artists and creatives have much to contribute to the collective imagination and affective experience of urban life. These intangible yet powerful dimensions can foster attachment and meaning – or provoke alienation and exclusion. Art occupies an ambivalent position in this dynamic: while it can create spaces of encounter, reveal hidden stories, and challenge dominant narratives, it is also increasingly instrumentalised to serve political, economic or branding agendas.
https://urbanstudies.brussels/news-events/what-about-workers-kate-oakley
First published: 1 December 2025