Bearing a positive, optimistic, and exclusive connotation, “creative city” has become a “hype” urban development concept, being adopted by many cities worldwide. Thus, without careful consideration and solid theoretical grounds in the local context, enforcing the creative city concept can potentially be a trap for these cities, exacerbating the prevailing urban problems while inadvertently hiding the issues behind the aesthetic urban facades. Bringing the case of Bandung, a creative city in Indonesia, the book unpackages the struggle of knowledge communities—a bottom-up youth literacy movement—in facilitating the citizen of Bandung in translating the concept to fit into their local context and to be recognized internationally. Through the lens of the Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD), the research analyses urban development, the creative city concept, knowledge communities, and their interplay as political phenomenons laden with interests, power, contestation, conflicts, dependencies, collaborations, and other dynamic forms of interaction.
Challenging the homogenic interpretation of creativity and creative city, as well as the blind adoption of the concept, the book elaborates on the multiple interpretations of the creative city concept in Bandung; and the different responses of knowledge communities. By nurturing empathy, maintaining the vibrancy of the city, and fostering literacy, the case of knowledge communities in Bandung exemplifies the significant role of a grass root movement in constructing and shaping the forms of development in a non-reference city where experimentation and contesting global urban development fads take place.
Mục lục
Abstract vii
Acknowledgements ix
List of Figures xv
List of Tables xix
Abbreviations xxi
Glossary of Terms xxv
Prologue xxix
Chapter 1
Introduction: The Right to the ‘Creative City’ 1
1.1 The Hype around the ‘Creative City’ 1
1.2 Contextual Background: Bandung 5
1.3 Research Objective 8
1.4 Outline of the Book 11
Chapter 2
Discourses of the Creative City Concept and Knowledge Community 15
2.1 Discourses around the ‘Creative City’ 16
2.1.1 Creative Urban Planning 18
2.1.2 Creative Economy and Industry 21
2.1.3 Cultural Production and Policy 24
2.1.4 Critiques on the Creative City Concept 27
2.2 Conceptual Discussion around ‘Knowledge’ and ‘Knowledge Community’ 31
2.2.1 Community of Practice, Knowledge Society, and Knowledge Community 31
2.2.2 Knowledge Sharing 35
2.2.3 Local Knowledge and bottom-up Urban Development 40
2.3 Current Research Position 42
Chapter 3
Research Design and Operationalization 51
3.1 Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD) 51
3.2 Conceptual Framework 54
3.3 Positionality 57
3.4 Data Compilation and Analysis 59
Chapter 4
Repertoire of Creativity in Bandung 67
4.1 Creativity and the Entertainment Culture 68
4.2 Creativity and the Intellectual Inquiries 73
4.3 Creativity and the Struggle to Survive 76
4.4 Creativity, Counter-culture, and Entrepreneurialism 83
4.5 Concluding Discussion 88
Chapter 5
Knowledge Communities in Bandung 91
5.1 Typology of Komunitas and Knowledge Community 92
5.2 The Emergence of Knowledge Communities 95
5.3 Knowledge sharing: Energy, Empathy, Literacy 99
5.3.1 Knowledge sharing 99
5.3.2 Energy, Empathy, Literacy 107
5.4 The Characteristics of Knowledge Communities 115
5.4.1 Common Interest 115
5.4.2 Common Space 117
5.4.3 Independence 120
5.4.4 Friendship-based Network 122
5.4.5 Diversity 123
5.5 Concluding Discussion 128
Chapter 6
Bandung as a Creative City 131
6.1 Adoption of the Creative City Concept in Bandung 132
6.2 The Creative Mayor 145
6.3 Creative City as an Economic Driver 151
6.3.1 Alignment with National Strategy of Creative Economy Development 151
6.3.2 Supports from Media, Academician, and Business Institutions 157
6.4 Creative City as City Branding 161
6.4.1 UNESCO City of Design 162
6.4.2 Logo and Branding Design 165
6.4.3 Creative City Artifacts 168
6.5 Creative City as Social Identity 172
6.5.1 Home of Creative People 173
6.5.2 A Trendsetter City 176
6.6 Concluding Discussion 181
Chapter 7
Legitimation and Contestation 183
7.1 Legitimation from below 186
7.1.1 BCCF: Initiation, Strategy, Program 186
7.1.2 Keprok: Amplifying the Ambition of Bandung as a Creative City 196
7.2 Contestation of Creative City Interpretations 205
7.2.1 Narrow Interpretation of ‘Creativity’ 206
7.2.2 Contesting Creativity 214
7.3 Concluding Discussion 220
Chapter 8
Delegitimization and Negotiation 223
8.1 Delegitimization of Creative City Labeling for Bandung 224
8.1.1 Political Vehicle and Bandwagoning 225
8.1.2 Negative Consequences of Creative City Concept Implementation 230
8.1.3 Gimmick: Bandung under its Grand Illusion 240
8.2 Negotiation 254
8.2.1 Ten Principles of the Indonesian Creative City 254
8.2.2 Expanding Knowledge Stocks on the Creative City and Creativity in Bandung 259
8.3 Local Commitment, International Collaboration 262
8.4 Concluding Discussion 267
Chapter 9
Conclusion
9.1 Bandung: Knowledge Community and Creative City 273
9.2 Recommendations 275
Bibliography 279
Annex 1: List of some Knowledge Communities in Bandung 299