Culture-led regeneration for the city of XXI century: lessons from the Western countries

The article describes the role that cultural resources and cultural policy has played and may play in the regeneration process of cities in western countries. It is also argued that culture-led urban regeneration policies should deal with an holistic vision of city's development in order to guarantee at least: the capacity to carry out an effective ‘project integration’ and, particularly, the balance between the physical regeneration of places, the revitalisation of the local communities and the strengthening of the cultural sector; secondly, a better coordination among the various players that are involved in the cultural sector, from heritage protection to cultural promotion, from the national to the local level.