Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.63.2.1
Culture and Planning in Zagreb and Rijeka: Anthropological Reading of Cultural Policy Documents
Petra Kelemen
orcid.org/0000-0002-3372-8175
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Croatia
Nevena Škrbić Alempijević
orcid.org/0000-0002-8653-7954
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Croatia
Abstract
This article explores the role of culture within urban policy frameworks by focusing
on two Croatian cities, Zagreb and Rijeka. Employing an anthropological perspective,
the authors consider public policies as dynamic arenas where social meanings are constructed,
negotiated, and institutionalized. The analysis centres on urban plans that articulate the cities’
broader developmental visions as well as strategies specifically focused on culture. The
authors first examine how culture is conceptualized and integrated within the cities’ general
development plans, identifying the expectations and functions assigned to culture in shaping
urban futures. Subsequently, they delve into cultural strategies to reveal dominant narratives
around culture’s role, highlighting its association with progress, regeneration, and socio-economic
benefits. They also show how the cities’ urban strategies align with broader Croatian,
European and international policy trends, reflecting the interplay of global, national, and local
frameworks. The authors’ findings indicate that, in the policies examined, culture is frequently
framed as a key driver for urban transformation, guiding how cities envisage their futures.
When this policy orientation is viewed alongside anthropological understandings of culture –
as multilayered, heterogeneous, multivocal, and not inherently progress-oriented – it invites
reflection on how culture is configured to align with developmental agendas, often through
frameworks that prioritize quality assessment and institutional infrastructure. Ultimately, this article contributes to the anthropology of policy by highlighting how definitions of culture
within urban governance serve as social and political constructs that shape the visions of urban
development.
Keywords
role of culture; cultural policy; anthropology of policy; urban planning; Zagreb; Rijeka
Hrčak ID:
337257
URI
Publication date:
30.10.2025.
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