Lia Ghilardi (director)
Her background is in urban sociology (Trento University, Italy); she has an MA with Distinction in Arts Criticism from City University (London) and a Diploma in Creative Thinking Skills from the De Bono Seminars Programme (Malta).
Internationally recognised as a leader in the field of cultural planning, Lia has, over the past fifteen years, built up an extensive portfolio of cultural and place mapping projects both in the UK and Europe. As well as consultancy she provides cultural planning residencies to cities (see more under Noema Projects) and expertise to urban networks such as those formed under the EU URBACT II programme. Recently she joined the Mayor of London's new special advisory group on culture and strategic development.
Lia lectures widely on the subject of cities and culture-led regeneration; at City University in London she is Leader of the Cultural Planning module for the MA in Culture, Policy and Management. She is a member of the Academy of Urbanism, the UK Urban Design Group, and the British Sociological Association (BSA).
As well as writing consultancy reports and policy documents, she has contributed to numerous publications, including:
Co-written with Franco Bianchini, Culture and Neighbourhoods: A Comparative Report (Council of Europe, 1997); 'Why Cities Need To Be Creative', in Sandra Dingli (ed), Creative Thinking: Towards Broader Horizons (Malta University Press, 1998); 'Cultural Planning and Cultural Diversity', in Tony Bennett (ed), Differing Diversities, Cultural Policy and Cultural Diversity (Council of Europe, 2001); with Franco Bianchini, 'The Culture of Neighbourhoods', in David Bell and Mark Jayne (eds), Cities of Quarters (Ashgate, 2004); 'Thinking Culturally about Diversity', in Navigating Difference: Cultural Diversity and Audience Development (Arts Council England, 2005); with Tom Fleming and Nancy K Napier, 'Rethinking Small Places - Urban and Cultural Creativity Beyond the Metropolis', in David Bell and Mark Jayne (eds), Small Cities: Urban Experience Beyond The Metropolis (Routledge, 2006); 'Identity by Invocation or by Design? How Planning Is Conjuring Up a New Identity for Malmö', in Godela Weiss-Sussex with Franco Bianchini (eds), Urban Mindscapes of Europe (Rodopi, 2006); 'The Contribution of Outsiders to Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Cities: The UK Case', in Phil Wood, Charles Landry and Jude Bloomfield (eds), Cultural Diversity in Britain: a Toolkit for Cross-Cultural Co-Operation (J Rowntree Foundation, 2006).
Noema Associates
Noema associates work with arts and cultural organisations, local authorities, government departments, regional and national agencies, and public/private partnerships in the fields of urban regeneration, economic development, tourism, place marketing, urban and social innovation.
Karina Berzins
As well as being a Visiting Research Fellow with the London East Research Institute, University of East London, Karina is a highly experienced research consultant working for more than a decade in the field of regeneration, culture and arts planning. Her qualitative research skills include research design, in-depth ethnographic work, working with interviews and focus groups, as well as secondary and statistical data analysis. Karina has worked with Noema for more than five years, collecting evidence and doing policy analysis for mapping and evaluation exercises.
Franco Bianchini
In October 2007, Franco took up the post of Professor of Cultural Policy and Planning in the Faculty of Arts and Society at Leeds Metropolitan. Previously he was Reader in Cultural Planning and Policy, and Course Leader for the MA in European Cultural Planning, at De Montfort University in Leicester (1992-2007). His books include Planning for the Intercultural City (with J. Bloomfield, Bournes Green, Comedia, 2004), Culture and Neighbourhoods: A Comparative Report (with Lia Ghilardi, Strasbourg, Council of Europe, 1997), The Creative City (with C. Landry, London, Demos, 1995), Cultural Policy and Urban Regeneration: the West European Experience (with M. Parkinson, Manchester University Press, 1993) and City Centres, City Cultures (with M. Fisher et al, Manchester, CLES, 1988).
Over the past twenty years Franco has acted as advisor and researcher on cultural planning strategies and projects in various European countries, on behalf of organizations including the Arts Council of England, the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the European Task Force on Culture and Development. He has lectured on urban cultural policy and planning issues in various countries, including Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Russia, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Australia, Colombia, China and Japan. Franco has worked with Noema for more than nine years advising on research methods and cultural mapping for city branding.
Thomas Chen-Hao Shih
Thomas has an MA in Arts Management from City University (London). He is a researcher on Cultural Planning, creative economy and sustainable urban development. His current work involves examining culture-led urban regeneration and place marketing strategies in Taiwan. Thomas is also working closely with the Taiwan Research Programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science, London.
Aleks Sierz
Aleks is a well-known journalist, broadcaster and theatre critic. He is author of the bestselling In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today (Faber & Faber, 2001), and hosts a website devoted to cutting-edge British theatre. He is currently Visiting Research Fellow at Rose Bruford College. He has been a Noema associate since 1999, and has worked on a range of projects, especially those concerned with the relationship between creativity and cultural institutions, as well as research on alternative forms of cultural funding.
Testbedstudio
A leading practice of architects and cultural planners based in Malmo and Stockholm, Testbed have been working for more than five years with Noema on a number of cultural mapping and place checks for public art projects and place marketing in Sweden and Europe. Testbed directors Fredrik Magnusson and Anders Johansson have received prizes and recognition for their contribution to urban innovation schemes in Sweden.
Occasional Associates
Tom Fleming
Tom is the Director of Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy. His key areas of specialism include creative industries investment, local and regional creative industries strategies, cluster development, and establishing targeted support mechanisms for the creative industries sector that include approaches to finance, investment, business advice, skills/training, property feasibility, and network and supply chain development.
Collaborations with other consultancies
Noema also works in partnership with other consultancies as part of project-based teams. Recently, Noema has worked with: ADEPT Architects, Arup, BBP Regeneration, Comedia Consultancy, EU URBACT Programme, Fablevision, Gehl Architects, LDA Design, The Prince's Foundation, and White Architects.