A creative milieu and the role of geography in studying the competitiveness of cities: the case of Ljubljana

Abstract

The article is composed of two parts. The first is based on theoretical geographical-developmental factors of balanced competitiveness of cities (regions) in conditions of globalization and the emphasized role of a creative milieu as fundamental development impulses. The second one explores the importance of Ljubljana and its role in the system of innovative urban centers in contrast to the metropolis agglomerations in the wider surroundings employing empirical findings. We support its position using the geographical dimensions of innovative dynamics as the fundamental development generator for the entire national urban system and evaluate its developmental research potential as well as investment, economic, and population capacities from the viewpoint of the opportunities offered by its central position and function as a capital city.

Demographic characteristics of creative workers: under-activated development potentials in Slovenia?

“…The geography of creative workers, especially their influence on urban and regional development, has been the subject of numerous discussions in the post-industrial period (Ravbar, Bole and Nared 2005;Clifton 2008;Hansen and Niedomysl 2009;Ravbar 2011;Uršič 2016). Even though psychologists have already developed the appropriate tools for measuring an individual's creativity (Kim 2006), urban and regional studies still find it very difficult to determine who a creative worker actually is because of a lack of this kind of psychological data on different spatial levels (Madanipour 2011).…”

Six Decades of Human Geography and Environmental Protection in Acta geographica Slovenica

“…Podob no aktua len je tudi ~la nek, ki govo ri o po me nu nalo`b za regio nalni raz voj in nji ho vem geo graf skem vred no te nju (Rav bar 2009). V tret jem tiso~ let ju sta se poja vi li novi temi, ki sle di ta sve tov nim tren dom v geo gra fi ji, to sta ustvar jal nost in kul tur na indu stri ja (Rav bar, Bole in Nared 2005;Bole 2008). Ener gi ja in delov na sila `e dol go nista ve~ kon ku ren~ ni pred no sti, ampak sta to posta la zna nje in ustvar jal nost.…”

“…Another similarly topical article is by Ravbar (2009), describing the importance of investments in regional development and their geographical evaluation. After 2000, two new topics appeared, following global trends in geography: creativity and the cultural industry (Ravbar, Bole and Nared 2005;Bole 2008). Energy and the workforce have not been a competitive advantage for a long time, having been replaced by knowledge and creativity.…”

Did the 2008 global economic crisis affect large firms in Europe?

“…Cities are home to the headquarters of international corporations as well political institutions, media outlets, and progressive centres of the production and »consumption« of cultural offerings. Large corporations have the opportunity to concentrate in cities, which results in innovative synergies (ravbar, Bole and Nared 2005). Corporations help drive the growth of the central city as well as its suburbs by attracting qualified workers and specialists from around the world (Beaverstock and Boardwell 2000).…”