Общности на добрия вкус, граждански мрежи и kултурно предприемачество в софийския КвАРТал
Communities of Good Taste, Civic Networks, and Cultural Entrepreneurship in Sofia’s KvARTal

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to examine the development of Sofia’s art district – KvARTal – as a model for the formation of „communities of good taste“: a cluster of contemporary businesses, cultural spaces, art galleries, and interest motivated clubbing activities. The study focuses on the characteristics of these spaces and communities, the ways in which they are formed, and the processes through which they are brought together by shared practices, values, and social and civic causes. It also explores whether such communities can serve as a model and a foundation for social cohesion – fostering inclusion and solidarity. The analysis is grounded in concrete empirical examples of innovators, cultural entrepreneurs, experimenters, and activists who have played a key role in the transformation of Old Sofia into today’s KvARTal. Their ideas, practices, and strategies have shaped the contemporary cultural and social profile of one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. Methodologically, the study combines digital ethnography with fieldwork, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, attendance at forums, meetings, and public discussions with representatives of the creative industries, as well as the maintenance of long-term contacts and active participation in networks of professionals and civic activists associated with cultural spaces and urban districts.

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