Cultural Assets as a Vehicle for Community Development

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Cultural Assets as a Vehicle for Community
Development

• ECAs Cultural Heritage Strategy viewed through a
  CDD lens

Mark Woodward ECSSD, 6/6/2001
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How cultural considerations may be incorporated
into our work
Why?

• Sensitivity to Culture
• Development activities are more likely to be
  effective if they reflect the interests and
  values of beneficiaries.

• Culture as Assets
• Both built and living culture can be viewed as
  assets that can be mobilized to promote
  socioeconomic development.

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Why are Cultural Assets of Importance for
Development (and CDD)?
Why?

• Culture, treated as an asset for development,
  can
• promote new economic activities, e.g., in labor
  intensive conservation works, tourism,
  handicrafts, and other cultural industries
• promote social capital formation, giving a sense
  of pride and belonging to a particular community
• increase social inclusion through community-based
  assistance, employment opportunities, and urban
  regeneration
• encourage participation in local level decision
  making and the accountability of local level
  institutions.

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The key conclusion a need for selectivity
When and How?

• From two perspectives
• Bank processes
• Enhancing effectiveness in our countries

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Selectivity from the Perspective of Bank
Processes
When and How?

• Supporting cultural assets activities makes sense
  when they can
• have a positive impact on socioeconomic
  development,
• contribute to attaining the objectives of our
  country strategies, and
• be adequately conceived and prepared.

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Selectivity from the Perspective of Enhancing
Effectiveness
When and How?

• Requires appropriate participatory processes
  coupled with an adequate demonstration of
  expected benefits.
• We should only engage in cultural assets
  activities where such benefits can be
  demonstrated and where participatory processes
  are feasible.

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Main Recommendations
When and How?

• Cultural assets activities should substantially
  contribute to socioeconomic development and
  poverty reduction.
• Areas that have particular potential for creating
  synergies between socioeconomic development and
  cultural assets include community-based
  eco-cultural tourism crafts development renewal
  of historic urban centers and environmental
  preservation.
• Such activities should be consistent with CAS
  objectives, specifically requested by the client,
  and designed to help reduce poverty through
  strong community-based support.

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Examples
When and How?

• Azerbaijan - Cultural Heritage Project financing
  rehabilitation of two palaces and two mausoleums.

• Macedonia - Community Development and Culture to
  finance sub-projects proposed by community groups
  at cultural heritage sites.

• Not designed to have a socioeconomic impact
  (although being addressed supervision).
• Without additional effort there would be little
  or no relationship to tourism, crafts, urban
  renewal, or environmental preservation.
• Strong government commitment, but the linkage to
  the CAS is tenuous and no community linkages
  built into project.

• Specifically designed to promote socioeconomic
  development at project sites.
• Sub-projects expected to focus on tourism and
  handicrafts development, as well as site
  management of cultural sites.
• Specifically mentioned in the CAS, high degree of
  borrower ownership, designed to reduce poverty
  through community-based support.

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The CDD Linkage

• Cultural heritage can support CDD by
• Providing sources of income
• Promoting social capital formation
• Increasing social inclusion
• Encouraging participation

• CDD can support cultural heritage by
• giving communities a stake in the preservation
  and development of both built and living culture