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Today cities in national and global competition focus on creativity. Although the creative city concept was invented by Gunnar Törnqvist in 1983, today the dominant concept is creative class articulated by Richard Florida in 2004. Cities are engaged to strengthen their social and cultural environment in the direction indicated in the works by Törnqvist, Peter Hall, Charles Landry, and Florida, and take effort to embed their fame as creative cities to their city branding. This let them communicate a creative image and develop an emotional bond to this image among larger social groups of tourists, employees and beyond. Consequently, their position in competition is improving. The emergence of creativity basically changed the characteristics of city competition since the turn of the millennia, cities – stakeholders in particular – focused on investment and infrastructure development beforehand. As the concept of the creative city already stabilized itself in worldwide city development and branding a new turn might come, and the market of good stories is emerging in city communication which can dim or even overwrite the importance of creativity. While good stories were always part of marketing, and contributed to city planning since the 1980s, their growing importance in city branding can reach a hypothetical point where a new market level develops, and a narrative turn occurs. In such cases, cities themselves carry good stories and the represented virtual reality creates a new market, where creativity will be only one among other stories. In this study we sketch up the three eras of branding in city competition, focusing on the emerging and fading role of creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today cities in national and global competition focus on creativity. Although the creative city concept was invented by Gunnar Törnqvist in 1983, today the dominant concept is creative class articulated by Richard Florida in 2004. Cities are engaged to strengthen their social and cultural environment in the direction indicated in the works by Törnqvist, Peter Hall, Charles Landry, and Florida, and take effort to embed their fame as creative cities to their city branding. This let them communicate a creative image and develop an emotional bond to this image among larger social groups of tourists, employees and beyond. Consequently, their position in competition is improving. The emergence of creativity basically changed the characteristics of city competition since the turn of the millennia, cities – stakeholders in particular – focused on investment and infrastructure development beforehand. As the concept of the creative city already stabilized itself in worldwide city development and branding a new turn might come, and the market of good stories is emerging in city communication which can dim or even overwrite the importance of creativity. While good stories were always part of marketing, and contributed to city planning since the 1980s, their growing importance in city branding can reach a hypothetical point where a new market level develops, and a narrative turn occurs. In such cases, cities themselves carry good stories and the represented virtual reality creates a new market, where creativity will be only one among other stories. In this study we sketch up the three eras of branding in city competition, focusing on the emerging and fading role of creativity.

Progressive technologization of society has an impact on an innovative approach to art and culture. New media play an important role in this context by shaping the environments of creative people who refer to regional resources in their work. The main purpose of the paper is to analyse selected theoretical concepts covering the issues of the use of new media art in the context of a symbiotic relationship with the creative environment of the region. The authors use the method of literature analysis and an interdisciplinary synthesis of the achievements of social sciences and humanities. The theoretical assumptions presented before are illustrated by the reference to a part of wider authors' sociological research - expert debates in the environment of regional creators of new media art. The conclusions indicate potential development trends and especially promising directions for further activities in the field of using new media in shaping the creative environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progressive technologization of society has an impact on an innovative approach to art and culture. New media play an important role in this context by shaping the environments of creative people who refer to regional resources in their work. The main purpose of the paper is to analyse selected theoretical concepts covering the issues of the use of new media art in the context of a symbiotic relationship with the creative environment of the region. The authors use the method of literature analysis and an interdisciplinary synthesis of the achievements of social sciences and humanities. The theoretical assumptions presented before are illustrated by the reference to a part of wider authors’ sociological research – expert debates in the environment of regional creators of new media art. The conclusions indicate potential development trends and especially promising directions for further activities in the field of using new media in shaping the creative environment.

Richard Florida claims that members of the “creative class” move to cities, perceived as open and conducive to creative work – a phenomenon which Florida insists is a fundamental economic driver in the Western world. This includes academics and researchers and results in the transfer of knowledge and skills. As the concept of “creative class” was coined in the United States, we may pose the question if it is applicable in other social contexts. The geographical focus of the current paper is on the Polish borderlands. We investigate how international academic commuters, i.e. academics travelling to work in Poland from the neighbouring countries, contribute to the knowledge transfer, or more broadly, the “creative transfer”. This study, a part of a broader research project involving 100 foreign-born scholars working in Poland, uses a sub-sample of the 16 in-depth interviews with international commuting scholars (as opposed to those who presently live in Poland). The results show that most of the internationally commuting scholars come to Poland strictly to deliver teaching. Focused on this goal, they do not take part in social or cultural life in Poland. Although not earning enough money in their home countries, they do not want to move permanently to Poland. Instead, they use the opportunities given by living near the border. These practices make them more similar to regular economic migrants, rather than members of the “creative class”, although some traces of the “creative transfer” can be identified.

Richard Florida claims that members of the "creative class" move to cities, perceived as open and conducive to creative work - a phenomenon which Florida insists is a fundamental economic driver in the Western world. This includes academics and researchers and results in the transfer of knowledge and skills. As the concept of "creative class" was coined in the United States, we may pose the question if it is applicable in other social contexts. The geographical focus of the current paper is on the Polish borderlands. We investigate how international academic commuters, i.e. academics travelling to work in Poland from the neighbouring countries, contribute to the knowledge transfer, or more broadly, the "creative transfer". This study, a part of a broader research project involving 100 foreign-born scholars working in Poland, uses a sub-sample of the 16 in-depth interviews with international commuting scholars (as opposed to those who presently live in Poland). The results show that most of the internationally commuting scholars come to Poland strictly to deliver teaching. Focused on this goal, they do not take part in social or cultural life in Poland. Although not earning enough money in their home countries, they do not want to move permanently to Poland. Instead, they use the opportunities given by living near the border. These practices make them more similar to regular economic migrants, rather than members of the "creative class", although some traces of the "creative transfer" can be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the concept of glocalization, the paper aims to compare experiences and achievements of three Baltic countries in the field of creative industries. It seeks to crystallize the issue of creative industries in the Baltic context, and to figure out how the new concept of the creative economy is changing the understanding of the humanities and business functions, and the dynamics of their mutual interaction. In addition to the analysis of the prospects of creative industries in the Baltic countries and the obstacles they are facing, the paper aims at identifying parallel processes (the emergence of business incubators and creative villages) and different environments of the dispersion of creative industries. Santrauka Naudojantis glokalizacijos koncepcija, straipsnyje lyginama trijų Baltijos šalių patirtis ir pasiekimai kūrybinių industrijų srityje. Siekiama suprobleminti kūrybinių industrijų koncepciją baltiškajame kontekste ir išsiaiškinti, kaip nauja kūrybinės ekonomikos samprata keičia humanitarikos ir verslo funkcijų supratimą bei sąveikos dinamiką. Analizuojama, kokių perspektyvų teikia ir su kokiais trukdžiais kūrybinės industrijos susiduria Baltijos šalyse. Identifikuojami paraleliniai procesai (verslo inkubatorių, kūrybinių miestelių kūrimasis) ir skirtingos kūrybinių industrijų sklaidos aplinkos. Reikšminiai žodžiai: Baltijos šalys, kūrybinė klasė, kūrybinės industrijos, kultūra, ekonomika, glokalizacija, Richardas Florida First published online: 26 May 2016

Urban development is increasing the ability to develop a distinct and attractive position in the world. Cities are changing their role as the cultural production sites as well as the life style and creativity become the material for the creative industries development. The creative city is understood as an urban complex, where a variety of cultural activities are an integral part of the urban economy and social life. The concept of creative city has not yet been well established: we can point to even three such concepts, highlighting different agency of the creative city – from the creative city-dwellers to the business enterprises of the creative industries. On the basis of the creative city concept, the article analyses Vilnius city, revealing the most important factors, which promote the creativity of the city: the organizations and activities of Arts category; business enterprises and projects of Media category; active creative and civil communities of the city. The activity of the creative communities takes on an expression in the forms of emerging cultural districts in Užupis, Naujamiestis and Pilaitė. The above-mentioned activities of the categories of creative industries are illustrated on the basis of the data, collected under the development of The Map of Vilnius Creative Industries. The article concludes that the weakest activity in Vilnius city is the economic clustering of the business enterprises of creative industries. Santrauka Miestų raida vis labiau priklauso nuo gebėjimo plėtoti aiškią ir patrauklią laikyseną pasaulyje. Miestai tampa kultūros gamybos centrais, o miestiečių gyvensena ir kūrybiškumas – medžiaga kūrybinių industrijų plėtrai. Kūrybinis miestas suprantamas kaip miesto kompleksas, kuriame įvairios kultūrinės veiklos neatsiejamos nuo miesto ekonomikos ir socialinio gyvenimo. Kūrybinio miesto samprata iki šiol nėra nusistovėjusi: galima išskirti net tris tokias sampratas, išryškinančias skirtingus kūrybinio miesto veiksnius – pradedant kūrybingais miestiečiais, baigiant kūrybinių industrijų verslo įmonėmis. Remiantis kūrybinio miesto samprata, straipsnyje analizuojamas Vilnius, išryškinami svarbiausi miesto kūrybingumą skatinantys veiksniai: menų kategorijos organizacijos ir veiklos; medijų kategorijos verslo įmonės ir renginiai; aktyvios miesto kūrybinės ir pilietinės bendruomenės. Kūrybinių bendruomenių aktyvumas konkrečią išraišką įgauna mieste besiformuojančių kultūros kvartaų pavidalu Užupyje, Naujamiestyje ir Pilaitėje. Minėtų kūrybinių industrijų kategorijų veiklos iliustruojamos duomenimis, kurie buvo surinkti rengiant Vilniaus kūrybinių industrijų žemėlapį. Straipsnyje daroma išvada, kad silpniausiai mieste vyksta ekonominė kūrybinių industrijų įmoni ų klasterizacija. Reikšminiai žodžiai: miesto kultūra, Vilniaus kūrybinių industrijų klasterizacija, bendruomenės, kūrybinis miestas, kūrybinė klasė, kūrybiškumas, kultūros kvartalai, kultūros gamyba