Can «perfection» be improved? by Imanol Galdos, Donostia Kultura

CAN «PERFECTION» BE IMPROVED? Imanol Galdos Irazabal

1.- GENERAL APPROACH TO THE CITY

1.- GENERAL APPROACH TO THE CITY

Living in an ‘almost perfect city’ can be both a blessing and a handicap

1.- GENERAL APPROACH TO THE CITY !

My children cases can ilustrate two possible attitudes very well:

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Oihana (15) is in Missouri

1.- GENERAL APPROACH TO THE CITY ! 

My children cases can ilustrate two possible attitudes very well: Eneko is going to study law in Donostia/San Sebastian

1.- GENERAL APPROACH TO THE CITY ! 

San Sebastian facts and figures are very impressive 15 libraries 15 culture centres 4 theatres 4 universities Some of the best restaurants 3 urban beaches

1.- GENERAL APPROACH TO THE CITY

A kind of ‘postcard city’: no chimneys or industrial buildings in sight Very expensive to live It makes it inaccessible for the young

2.- BROAD EXPERIENCE AND COMMITMENT TO CULTURE

2.- BROAD EXPERIENCE AND COMMITMENT TO CULTURE !

More than 20 culture venues

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No cultural equipment was created for or during Donostia 2016, European Capital of Culture Around 250 people make up the Culture Department of the Donostia City Council Half of the population of Donostia (over 95.000 people) has a Donostia kultura membership card

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Last year, Donostia Kultura sold more than 215.000 tickets

2.- BROAD EXPERIENCE AND COMMITMENT TO CULTURE

The international Film Festival ! Musical Fortnight ! Kursaal Foundation ! Tabakalera ! Musikene ! Basque Film Archive !

2.- BROAD EXPERIENCE AND COMMITMENT TO CULTURE ! ! !

We´re speaking of more than 500 people working in the public sector and in the field of Culture The municipality allocates more than thirty million euros a year to the area of Culture In other words, it invests 165 euros a year per citizen in the sector

3.- DONOSTIA MADE A BRAVE AND RISKY DECISON… AND IT WAS WORTH IT !

A city with a strong identity in which different cultural and linguistic realities coexist

3.- DONOSTIA MADE A BRAVE AND RISKY DECISON… AND IT WAS WORTH IT

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A city and a country with a great capacity for innovation, very dynamic in economical terms, that has always looked abroad

3.- DONOSTIA MADE A BRAVE AND RISKY DECISON… AND IT WAS WORTH IT !

But, at the same time, a city that has, over the last decades, suffered the consequences of violence

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That is the context in which the city submitted, and later won, the project for an European Capital Of Culture

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If you ask me whether Donostia is a more cohesive, more integrated, happier city, where citizens participate more in public affairs, and whether the conflict has disappeared, my answer would be that major progress has been made in that regard

4.- THE RESULTS ARE SPECTACULAR !

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Donostia has achieved great visibility and renown, and for that it was well worth it. Today Donostia is much more widely known around the world Regarding tourism data, they speak for themselves.

Example: visits from jounalists to Donostia ! Image to the whole world 2014: 39 press trips ! 2015: 82 press trips ! 2016: 137 press trips !

4.- THE RESULTS ARE SPECTACULAR !

Tourism: 1,300,000 overnight stays recorded in 2016 (16% more than those in 2015)

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Anthony Bourdain CNN special programme about Donostia: Parts Unknown

4.- THE RESULTS ARE SPECTACULAR ! 

Impact of the capital of culture on the local economy

4.- THE RESULTS ARE SPECTACULAR ! 

Fourteen hotels are currently being built: 2.000 aditional beds

5.- FINAL THOUGHTS

5.- FINAL THOUGHTS ! 

Spirit of DSS2016 ! 

the ECOC

Not everything was a bed of roses. Our human condition makes us prone to conflict. We live times of uncertainty, we cannot always find answers to our fears, insecurities and the new problems we face. Certainties have disappeared and we have become accustomed to managing a new way of living.

Buut new opportunities also arise from conflict and tension

5.- FINAL THOUGHTS

5.- FINAL THOUGHTS ! 

Spirit of DSS2016 ! 

the ECOC

It brought an excellent opportunity for the people of the city to get to know each other better, to improve their coexistence (which is not always easy) and their self-esteem, to increse the coordination between the institutions and the people, who had often ignored each other in the past. Progress was made in a path that will remain

CONTACT DETAILS

Eskerrik asko Thank you for your attention Imanol Galdos Irazabal Assistant Director

Imanol_Galdos@donostia.eus www.facebook/Imanol.galdosirazabal