City Museums And City Development

Description: Traditionally, city museums have been keepers of city history. Many have been exercises in nostalgia, reflecting city pride. However, a new generation of museums focuses increasingly on the city's present and future as well as its past, and on the city in all of its diversity, challenges, and possibilities. Above all, these museums are gateways to understanding the city--our greatest and most complex creation and the place where half the world's population now lives. In this book, experts in the field explore this 'new' city museum and the challenge of contributing positively to city development.

Review: This book brings together the latest thinking and scholarship on a topic that is critical to the future of all museums. City museums, more than any other topic specific cultural institutions, not only carry the seeds of memory but bear the responsibility of reflecting the increasingly diverse populations they serve. These museums, through their programs, bring relevance to their various publics, serve as places of discussion and civil discourse, and ultimately inform and enlighten their citizens.--Sal Cilella