IN-PERSON Barcelona Livable Cities. Section A

Abstract

Today, cultural participation faces a multitude of challenges. Cultural institutions openly admit they must compete for attention with streaming platforms and an ever-growing offer of entertainment and leisure. The internet, with its ecosystem of games, memes, and TikTok trends, creates an entirely new cultural baseline. Are traditional cultural institutions losing their relevance? What role do they play in contemporary cities? What do they offer, what do they teach, and what challenges do they face? These are just some of the key questions we explored in a study involving representatives of cultural institutions from eight Polish cities, as well as participants and users of their offerings. This presentation will share findings on the current role of cultural institutions, highlighting both the opportunities and threats they face in their struggle to remain vital. The study reveals that their functions remain diverse and deeply rooted in urban life. Beyond cultivating aesthetic sensibilities, cultural institutions now serve as spaces for dialogue and social cohesion. They help build community, foster respect for diversity, and enable the processing of difficult issues—from historical trauma to death and grief. Increasingly, they also function as “third places”: spaces for presence, connection, and co-creation. The presented findings come from the study “Cultural Institutions as Support for the Idea of Lifelong Learning”. Conducted in the summer and autumn of 2024, the research included 53 individual interviews with cultural institution representatives, 4 focus group discussions, and 36 research walks with their audiences.