The Power of Culture in Creative Placemaking for Future Urban Economy

Based on socio-economic changes of cities and emerging new types of urban public spaces in 21th century, urban design as an interdisciplinary science which concentrates on public domain needs to introduce new lens to analyze and improve quality of contemporary urban spaces. In new literature of urban design creativity has been introduced as a key attribute to create successful places. In this process of creative placemaking for preserving the identity of urban spaces we need to be connected to powerful concepts like culture which is alive from past to future. In other word culture has a unique potential to convey creativity in designing new public spaces. Such approach is effecting on urban economy based on introducing contemporary urban spaces as new tourism destinations. European cities have valuable experience to use the cultural potentials and assets in improving quality of life and urban tourism. The presentation with reviewing some of European cities experiences, is trying to analyze the idea in Iran as an Asian and Middle-east country, where the experiences of using culture enhancing urban quality have been neglected in the current literature of urban studies. The results demonstrate the power culture in Iranian everyday life of public spaces. Those spaces used cultural-entertainment led regeneration approach have successful from the lens of urban economy for all the city. The most important thread in development of theses space is privatization of urban spaces by rich corporations. According the analysis of these urban spaces and reintroducing the rich treasure of culture in Iran as one of rare alive civilizations, the paper brings up new and integrated model of strategies on using culture-led regeneration approach in future of Iranian cities.