Cultural Heritage and Lifestyle Strategies in the Placemaking of Kaka’ako, Hawai‘i

Abstract

Culture and cultural heritage can be understood as powerful marketing tools that are increasingly used in urban development processes. Placemaking and the creation of a new place identity as an own brand accompanies such processes. In the case of the redevelopment of Kaka’ako, the culture and history of the neighborhood and of the islands of Hawai‘i resonates in the discourse of the stakeholders. While landowners and developers claim to invite all residents and visitors to “discover the most desirable and sustainable urban place in Hawai‘i to work, live, learn and play”, in reality not everyone is privileged to participate, and even more some histories are excluded in the process. This paper zooms in on the inclusion of more marketable cultural elements and lifestyles in the spatial fix of Kaka’ako during the past decades at the expense of other “histories”. Culture-led development means to find a balance between improving the place and respecting as many histories of this place as possible.

Cultural Heritage and Lifestyle Strategies in the Placemaking of Kaka’ako, Hawai‘i

Patrimoine culturel et stratégies de mode de vie dans le placemaking à Kaka’ako, Hawai‘i