Spaces and Social Practices in the new Forms of Labour

The acknowledgement of the strength of what has been called cognitive cultural capitalism in forming, transforming and redesigning spaces and relationships in contemporary urban regions can hardly be questioned (Scott, 2008), while the paradigm of the creative city appears less convincing, at least in its simpler versions that propose to perfunctorily connect the presence of a new creative class with opportunities for urban growth (Scott, 2014). This article contributes to the monographic section by proposing to look specifically at transformations of creative and cultural production that have spread in the dense and compact spaces of inner city areas. Such parts of the city are characterised by relatively high urban densities, hinting at forms of (not only physical) proximity, but also by a certain degree of porosity, due to the fine grain closing down or relocation of productive activities, which enable small-scale reuse and substitution.