ABSTRACT
Creative Economy receives increasing attention as it might contribute to a development centered on people and as an ingredient in the creation of jobs and innovation, promoting social inclusion, cultural diversity and sustainability. To enlarge its discussion in Brazil, this study aims to analyze the potential, challenges and limits of a territory located at Cidade Baixa, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, to establish itself as a creative hub. Among the favorable aspects are: its location, heritage and environment that brings together art and culture, bars, restaurants and concert halls, making it attractive for tourism; its acceptance of diversity; its concentration of creative endeavors and interests of residents and entrepreneurs in their development as a creative space. The limitations are disputes between residents, bar owners and promoters; lack of communication; lack of strong ties and coordination between actors linked to the creative economy towards common goals; risk of overvaluation of real estate in the region and the expulsion of artists and students to other districts, mischaracterizing its constituent tissue. The main contributions of this study are: (a) the uncritical incorporation of the concept of creative economy by public and private institutions, reproducing international models; (b) the interest in economic gains predominance to the detriment of the historical and cultural aspects of the neighborhood preservation; (c) the disarticulation among the actors of the territory, which amplifies conflicts and compromises the construction of an integrated proposal for the constitution of a creative hub; and (d) the use of the concept of creative territory for a deeper understanding of space than that of creative hubs, which emphasizes objective and convergent elements, failing to explore contradictions and disputes in the territory.
Keywords:
Creative Economy; Territory; Creative Hub