Cultural Participation and Social Inclusion in Poor Neighbourhoods

This study investigates the problem of cultural participation in economically and socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods. It aims at ascertaining if and how the provision of cultural goods and services or cultural productions can contribute to reduce the problems of social inclusion and foster urban regeneration. The analysis provides a comparative overview of the types of private supply of cultural goods, which are investigated with respect to their effectiveness in favouring the cultural participation of residents. Examples of the different categories are drawn from several significant experiences of the city of Catania. The identification of critical aspects for each category is used to build suggestions for the design of public policies in support of cultural participation.