Document Type : Scientific-Research
Authors
1
PhD in Geography and Urban Planning, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2
Professor of Geography and Planning, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3
Associate Professor of Geography and Planning, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The concept of creative city in our country in accordance with the global trend in the academic community and policy-making has been welcomed. But more than a decade after the introduction of this concept, this concept and its dimensions have not yet been properly explained and the concept of creative city. It is necessary to pay attention to different aspects of this concept and to avoid confusing different approaches and theoretical and methodological critique of the researches. This research is a descriptive-analytical type and uses quantitative and qualitative content analysis method to analyze the data. In general, this study concludes that theoretically and methodologically, research related to the creative city is misinterpreted. As the analysis of the content of research shows the adoption of principles and frameworks other than the characteristics of theory and scientific method; Lack of accurate explanation of Florida theory and assumption of its findings in Iran; Invoking invalid indicators; Adopting contradictory indicators with the theoretical literature; Lack of attention to the validity of the measurement model (validity and reliability) in measuring the creative city; Adopting an approach contrary to the theoretical literature in data collection and unit of measurement; Establishing a causal relationship between the concept and its components; Reducing the localization of theories to researcher-made indicators from the field of do's and don'ts; Mere emphasis on assessment and not entering into the discussion of explanation is one of the most important factors in the deviation of internal studies in the attitude towards the creative city.
Keywords: Creative city indicators; Creative city; theoretical and methodological critique; Validity and reliability.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The concept of the creative city in our country, in line with global trends, has been welcomed in academia and policymaking. However, after more than a decade since the introduction of this concept, it and its dimensions have still not been properly explained, and the concept of the creative city in domestic research lacks theoretical and methodological rigor. It is essential to pay attention to the various aspects of this concept, avoid conflating different approaches, and engage in theoretical and methodological critique of the existing research.
Method
The method of the present research for critique, based on its nature and the approach to answering the research question, is descriptive-analytical with a critical approach, and it uses quantitative and qualitative content analysis methods for data analysis. In this research, data collection was carried out through library-documentary methods from scientific databases to gather research related to the "creative city." The unit of analysis is the text of research works related to the creative city, and the statistical population of the study consists of research works related to the creative city. For the critique and review of research conducted on the creative city in Iran, the Magiran database was used. In this regard, 58 scientific-research articles for which full-text access was available were reviewed. Chronologically, the articles span the period from 2010 to 2021. This research employs quantitative and qualitative content analysis methods for data analysis. The data analysis process using content analysis was as follows: text summarization; open coding; category determination; and finally, axial coding. Excel and MAXQDA 2020 software were used to perform the quantitative and qualitative content analysis process.
Results
Overall, this research concludes that, from a theoretical and methodological perspective, studies related to the creative city suffer from misinterpretation and misunderstanding. The content analysis of the research shows that adopting foundations and frameworks other than the characteristics of scientific theory and method; lack of precise explanation of Florida's theory and taking its findings for granted in the Iranian context; citing invalid indicators; adopting indicators inconsistent with the theoretical literature; neglecting the validity of the measurement model (reliability and validity) in assessing the creative city; adopting an approach contrary to the theoretical literature in data collection and unit of measurement; establishing a causal relationship between a concept and its constituent components; reducing the localization of theories to researcher-made indicators based on prescriptive norms; and merely emphasizing measurement without engaging in explanation—these are among the most important factors contributing to the deviation of domestic studies in their approach to the creative city.
Discussion and Conclusion
Research related to the creative city, especially in domestic studies, suffers from theoretical and methodological shortcomings, which this research has attempted to critically re-examine and, by deconstructing the established meaning of the creative city concept, provide a correct interpretation of it. The findings showed that, in theoretical terms, studies have entered into content discussions without any theoretical introduction, without having provided any clear theoretical criterion for their analytical approach and ijtihadi reasoning. Having a purely descriptive approach to the research background and failing to enter the phase of critiquing research in domestic studies has, on the one hand, prevented a proper and accurate understanding of the formed knowledge and background of the creative city, and on the other hand, has left their strengths, weaknesses, and shortcomings hidden. The findings indicate that one example of this issue is the theoretical gap between the original theory and the research conducted within the country. This theoretical gap is that the foundation of studies, decisions, and plans related to the creative city in Iran is based on indicators derived from Florida's theory, without the theory itself having been tested in the Iranian context to determine whether the variables (talent, technology, diversity, and tolerance) that influence the geography of the creative class and regional development in the United States also have an impact in Iran. In other words, domestic research, by taking Florida's findings for granted, has reduced Florida's explanatory model to a measurement model. Initially, this research is built upon the indicators of Florida's theory, but then, due to methodological problems, gradually researcher-made indicators with no theoretical or scientific basis have been added to the domestic literature. As a result, a competition has now emerged among researchers regarding creative city indicators, with the assumption that whoever gathers more indicators around the concept of the creative city wins the competition, regardless of whether the rationale for the existence of each indicator in a scientific work is clear. The findings related to the methodological critique of the research showed that the studies have mostly been conducted using descriptive-analytical methods, measurement, and comparison, and description has not been placed in the service of explanation. Domestic creative city research lacks an epistemological framework and does not follow a clear methodology; what is mentioned as the descriptive-analytical research method for most of these studies does not go beyond the measurement stage and does not reach the explanation stage.
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