Munich's Laptop and LederhosenTradition, Innovation, and the Rest

Svenska social- och kommunalhögskolanvid Helsingfors universitet, 29.04.2010

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

MUNICH

“Cosmopolitan city with a heart.”

(dt. München) state capital of Bavaria

3rd largest German city, strongest economic city

~2.6 million urban inhabitants

~5.2 million metropolitan inhabitants

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

FACTS: HISTORY

1158 Foundation (administrative centre 1255)

1806 Royal capital and centre of culture

1919 Soviet Republic and counter-revolution

1923 Hitler-Kapp Putsch

1933-45 Nazi regime and WW II

1957 First Million inhabitants, economic centre

1972 Summer Olympics & Transport system

2006 Football World Cup

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

FACTS: ECONOMY

HQs of Siemens, BMW, MAN, Linde, Allianz

Insurance, R&S, MTU, EADS, Krauss-Maffei,

Infineon, Osram, Microsoft, Google, ARD,

Pro7Sat1…

Centre for BioTec, IT, and service

European publishers' capital

2nd largest German airport

Highest dispensable German income (in cities)

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

TRADITION & IDENTITY

Fiercely independent historically

Strong agrarian background

Core Bavaria: Catholic anti-Prussian sentiment

Historicist (Monarchy, Beer, “tribal” districts)

and cultural (customs, costumes, dialect,

Mentality, food) pride

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

EVERYDAY LIFE & TRADITION

Christian Social Union as “the” Bavarian party

Beer garden, brewery house, and food culture

Exact architectural restoration after WW II

Bavarian patriotism

Rebellious AND conservative attitude

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

SO... HOW COME?

Why is a conservative province capital

- a centre of the creative industry and

- an European leader in innovation?

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

APPROACH I: RICHARD FLORIDA

“3 T” of creative cities:

Technology

Talent

Tolerance

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

APPROACH: RICHARD FLORIDA

Technology

Since WW II centre for Siemens, BMW

Active state support for new industries and PPP

Milieu of SME around world market leaders

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

APPROACH: RICHARD FLORIDA

Talent

More than 15 institutions of higher learning

More than 12 national research institutes

R&D intensive industry centered in Munich

89.000 students

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

APPROACH: RICHARD FLORIDA

Tolerance

City government in red-green-pink coalition

Christopher Street Day central part of city life

Glockenbach as gay quarter

Bohemian Schwabing-Maxvorstadt, Haidhausen

Strong foreigners' assembly, immigrant clubs

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

REMARKS

- “Unbavarian” urban educated middle class

- Divided government state vs. city

- Bohemian tradition since art-minded 19th cent.

- 70s culture shift due to Liberalitas Bavariae?

- General wealth as nutrient for creatives?

- Municipal commitment to gentrification?

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

RESULTS

- Among the highest standards of living

- Rising BioTec industry in Martinsried

- Establishment of micro-electronics and ITC

- Centre for Intellectual Property Law

- 300 000 internationals

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

READINGHanns Seidel Stiftung (ed.): Generationenstudie 2003. Heimat und

Heimatgefühl inBayern, (www.hss.de/fileadmin/migration/downloads/Politische_Studien_Sonderausgabe_Generationenstudie_2003.pdf)

Manuel Castells: City Class and Power, 1972

Manuel Castells / Peter Hall: Technopoles of the world, 1994

Richard Florida: Cities and the Creative Class, 2005

LINKSMUNICHFOUND, www.munichfound.com

URBANAUTEN, www.die-urbanauten.de

UnternehmerTUM, www.unternehmertum.de

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME...

This presentation will be online at

http://blogs.helsinki.fi/varldenisockom10

Falko Blumenthal

student of Political Sciences and Political Economy at the Munich School of Political Science, visiting student at SSKH 2009/10

feel free to contact me on Facebook or by e-mail