The integration of culture and commerce for sustainable urban regeneration in the neighbourhoods of Bilbao La Vieja, San Francisco and Zabala (Bilbao)

Collaboration between public and private agents for the promotion of commercial activities in cities has been carried out through numerous models, including Business Improvement District in the USA and Town Centre Management in Western Europe. During the evolution of these models by urban commercial development, culture — not only its consumption, but also its production — is the new main hub around which to create the city’s, or some of its areas’, own distinctive identity, with important synergistic effects on the dynamism and diversity of its commercial activity. This paper analyses the most important milestones of the urban development in Bilbao. Bilbao’s urban development is discussed as an example of how cities are using the creation and consumption of culture to nurture sustainable urban development.