Resilience and the role of arts and culture-based activities in mature industrial districts

In this paper, we build on the results of previous research on how industrial districts (IDs) well-endowed with innovation capabilities fall into decline, and sometimes react against it. Major challenges may bring about deep crises. In particular, mature IDs stuck into the cognitive core and the institutional frames, which have featured their past growth, have often weak or slow reactions to such crises, demonstrating lack of adaptability and low resilience. However, lock-ins can be avoided or overcome by the activation and integration of a multiplicity of secondary know-how nuclei. The present paper combines some conceptualizations on such ID dynamics with the roles of their cultural backgrounds, and the possible activation of place-based arts and culture-based activities.