ABSTRACT
This chapter will examine a very special dedicated case of using culture and creativity to develop a region, namely the foundation Cultiva in Kristiansand, Norway. The case is very special in the sense that a lot of money has been allocated to the foundation. The foundation has 1.44 billion NOK, and the returns on this capital must be invested in projects that develop the region in economic and social terms by using arts, culture and creativity as instruments. The foundation has existed since 2001 and therefore ten years of practice and experiences can be evaluated. This chapter will examine the strategies of Cultiva and discuss them in the context of the existing knowledge and literature of culture economics, concerning art and culture in urban and regional development. What does the theory and existing empirical knowledge tell us? How can the strategies of Cultiva be evaluated in this context? What are Cultiva's experiences so far? What can we learn from this case? These questions will be addressed in this chapter.
