From the creative city to the city of cultural rights. Analysing inequalities and diversity in the right to participate in urban cultural life. The case of Barcelona

Recent empirical evidence within the framework of the creative city has reproduced a narrow view of cultural participation. To better understand diversity and new and more complex logics of inequalities, this paper proposes an alternative multidimensional framework: the right to participate in urban cultural life. Using data from the Survey of Cultural Rights of Barcelona (2022), we analyse evidence of not only cultural access, but also the dimensions of practice, community engagement and governance, including both legitimate and non-legitimate cultural activities. This study considers how relevant are individual socioeconomic and spatial factors in explaining inequalities and diversity in the right to participate in urban cultural life. We conclude firstly that, as previous research has shown, socioeconomic individual resources (such as education) play a significant role in explaining inequalities in levels of participation in legitimate culture. The impact of these factors is significantly reduced when community and governance dimensions, and above all, non-legitimate cultural activities are considered. Second, neighbourhood has its own role in explaining inequalities and diversity. Being from a well-off neighbourhood is more related to accessing legitimate culture but less related to non-legitimate cultural activity and other cultural rights dimensions. • This paper proposes the right to participate in urban cultural life framework. • Broader and multidimensional conceptualization of cultural life. • Evidence to understand cultural diversity and more complex logics of inequality. • Socioeconomic individual resources explain inequalities significantly. • The neighbourhood has its own role explaining cultural inequalities and diversity.