The Observatory participates in international working groups on cultural policies held by institutions or researchers. These groups aim to think about the evolution of public policies or to implement some programs.

• Research/Action Project

  « Living cities, cultural emergencies, urban dynamics and citizenship »
  
  This research/action project was initiated by the Banlieues d’Europe networks and the Cultural Policies Observatory, with scientific support from CERAT, research laboratory of the IEP of Grenoble, associated with the CNRS and LARES, research laboratory in social science of the University of Rennes II. It was supported by the European Commission (Directorate of Research), the Council of Europe, the French Interministerial Council of Research in the framework of the programme “Town, culture and social dynamics” and the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.

Objectives :

This research should allow for a better understanding of the mechanisms by which art and culture contribute to urban development and development of communities, and also provide elements of identification so that politicians and cultural actors can advance their projects.

This research/action project consists of analysing the place of artistic and cultural emergences in urban dynamics and the renewal of territories in Europe, as well as the way in which the inhabitants of towns are involved in this process.
Today, six towns (representing six countries) are directly implicated in the project, their political and administrative representatives having participated in one or more meetings (seminars, steering committee), and indicated their wish to be associated with the work. The towns concerned are: - Brussels Saint-Gilles (Belgium), Huesca (Spain), Gateshead (United Kingdom), Glasgow (United Kingdom), Lyon (France), and Roubaix (France). Other towns have also participated in the seminars and indicated their interest in the project: Berlin (Germany), Sibiu (Romania), Plovdiv (Bulgaria).

Moreover, the project can be linked to work already carried out, notably the programmes initiated by the Council of Europe and the European Commission, and will bring together contributions from researchers from different European horizons, and specialists from several disciplines (art, culture, urban life, sociology, political science).

Stages of advancement :

• The first stage of this work was the meeting of researchers at a seminar in July 2000 in Strasbourg, with the support of the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. This seminar brought together thirty people from eight different countries. It enabled the identification of the problematic, the objectives, and the methodology of the project to be made. This work was published in the form of a report.
• A steering Committee was created at the end of the seminar. Besides Banlieues d’Europe and the Cultural Policies Observatory, it brought together researchers, representatives of towns and institutional partners.
• The second stage of this project was concretised by the organization of a seminar of towns in September 2001 in Strasbourg, thanks to the support of the French Interministerial Council of Research and the Council of Europe. This seminar brought together forty people from seven different countries, amongst which were representatives of eight European towns. This second seminar was consecrated to the presentation of towns wishing to be associated in the project, the identification of their problematic of reflection, as well as the further development of the three themes of the work and the modalities of intervention of each partner proposed at the end of the first seminar (July 2000).

The project is presently in the process of development (consolidation of partners, fundraising). The theme is moreover “extended” in the framework of the Eurocities project.