ABSTRACT
Chapter 7 analyses a series of European and US cases of successful heritage asset management – particularly with regard to the generation of economic and social value for the local community. The overview begins at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao – an extraordinary architectural, cultural and economic operation that has radically changed the face and economy of the Spanish city. The Serralves Foundation, located in the nearby city of Porto, is much less well known than the Basque museum. Since its inception, it has set itself the goal of maintaining constant dialogue with the city and creating a supportive community base. The third case is that of National Museums Liverpool – a single body comprising eight different museums, all with free admission; two-thirds of the funding for this organisation is provided by the UK government, but it is now seeking new sources of livelihood. These European cases are succeeded by an Italian case from a region neighbouring a German-speaking territory: the Merano Thermal Baths, which are more than 99% owned by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano. The chapter then concludes with two US cases. The first is of Balboa Park in San Diego, California – a complex and articulated collection of dozens of museums, institutions and businesses – and the second is of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts – the fifth largest museum complex in the United States, and one of the oldest.
