Leeuwarden 2018: Complexity and Leisure-led Regional Development in a European Capital of Culture

Leeuwarden was chosen to be European Capital of Culture (ECOC) for 2018. This title is expected to bring about a major economic boost for the city and the province of Fryslân. This boost is, however, not guaranteed. In this paper the title of ECOC is examined in the context of its effect on leisure, placed within the long standing provincial policies of stimulating leisure-led regional development. A number of tensions for leisure-led regional development are identified. These include the fragmentation of the leisure sector, the tension between developing leisure and protecting existing structures and the difficulties of obtaining crossovers between leisure and other sectors. Taking these tensions into account can be crucial for the success of the ECOC event with regard to the regional development of Fryslân, as positive effects might otherwise be offset by negative consequences. This paper presents a way of incorporating these issues in planning, by introducing a complexity perspective. In this perspective, the connections and interactions between leisure and other aspects of regional development are central. A study of the existing policies shows that, although not framed from a complexity perspective, a number of the principles of complexity can be observed in the plans for the ECOC and leisure in general. Connections and interactions are deemed important in the ECOC bid book and provincial leisure policies and the crossovers between leisure and other aspects of regional development are stressed. However, in the evaluation criteria these aspects disappear and a sectoral approach is taken that does not consider the connections between different criteria. The focus on conditions for adaptivity that a complexity perspective brings forward can provide a useful framework for integrating the evaluation criteria that now remain separate in policy documents. This integration can be pivotal for the effect the ECOC will have on the leisure-led regional development of Fryslân.