Lia Ghilardi
Lia is a creative polymath, based in London. She is the founder and director of Noema, a UK-based organization working internationally to deliver place mapping and strategic cultural planning projects. Internationally recognized as a leader in the field of cultural urban development, she has worked for more than twenty years with civic leaders, urban designers, architects and arts organisations to provide creative and integrated solutions to the challenges of place making in contemporary cities.
Recently, Lia joined the Mayor of London's new special advisory group on culture and development. At City University, she leads the Culture and Regeneration module as part of the MA in Culture, Policy and Management. She is a member of the Academy of Urbanism, a network of influential thinkers, professionals and decision makers passionate about creating a better living for people in towns and cities.
Lia's background is in urban sociology (Trento University, Italy); she has an MA with Distinction in Arts Criticism from City University (London) and a Diploma in Creative Thinking Skills from the De Bono Seminars Programme (Malta).
Lia's publications include:
Co-written with Franco Bianchini, Culture and Neighbourhoods: A Comparative Report (Council of Europe, 1997)
'Why Cities Need To Be Creative', in Sandra Dingli (ed), Creative Thinking: Towards Broader Horizons (Malta University Press, 1998)
'Cultural Planning and Cultural Diversity', in Tony Bennett (ed), Differing Diversities, Cultural Policy and Cultural Diversity (Council of Europe, 2001)
Co-written with Franco Bianchini, 'The Culture of Neighbourhoods', in David Bell and Mark Jayne (eds), Cities of Quarters (Ashgate, 2004)
'Thinking Culturally about Diversity', in Navigating Difference: Cultural Diversity and Audience Development (Arts Council England, 2005)
Co-written with Tom Fleming and Nancy K Napier, 'Rethinking Small Places: Urban and Cultural Creativity Beyond the Metropolis', in David Bell and Mark Jayne (eds), Small Cities: Urban Experience Beyond The Metropolis (Routledge, 2006)
'Identity by Invocation or by Design? How Planning Is Conjuring Up a New Identity for Malmö', in Godela Weiss-Sussex with Franco Bianchini (eds), Urban Mindscapes of Europe (Rodopi, 2006)
'The Contribution of Outsiders to Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Cities: The UK Case', in Phil Wood, Charles Landry and Jude Bloomfield (eds), Cultural Diversity in Britain: A Toolkit for Cross-Cultural Co-Operation (J Rowntree Foundation, 2006)