UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is a city programme with over 246 member cities worldwide, established by UNESCO in 2004. To react to the challenges of the 21st century, achieving the UNs’ Sustainable Development Goals is the end goal of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
The UCCN is a platform for exchanging experiences, optimal methods, and initiatives in culture and creative fields. The UCCN empowers member cities to support and elevate their cultural assets, foster creativity, and build sustainable and vibrant urban environments that are safe, inclusive, resilient, and future-proof. Seven creative fields, Crafts and Folk Art, Media Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature, and Music, are highlighted that cities can use to fully integrate culture and creativity into local development strategies and plans.
Why Creativity Matters in Cities
Cities are home to more than fifty per cent of the world’s population, with seventy-five per cent of the world’s economic activity, including a significant portion of the creative economy. As Cities respond to the current economic crisis, environmental impacts, demographic growth, and social tensions, they form core development areas. Creativity matters in cities because cities’ high populations can influence new strategies, policies, and initiatives for making culture and creativity the motivating factors for sustainable development.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network’s Purpose and Goals
The UCCN programme encourages a stronger collaboration among cities that recognize culture and creativity as key features for sustainable urban development, promoting the transformative power of culture and creativity in economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspects.
The UCCN aspires to inspire an increase in the integration of creativity into urban development plans through partnerships involving organized non-government groups and the public and private sectors.
The UCCN promotes and encourages the creation, production, distribution, and distribution of cultural activities, goods, and services. It also helps to develop centres of creativity and innovation to increase opportunities for creators and professionals in the cultural sector.
A fundamental point in the vision of the UCCN is to reinforce culture-powered urban development. A significant feature in the vision is the transformative capacity of culture to boost local communities, create a sense of identity and belonging, and enhance the attractiveness of cities. Therefore, the UCCN endeavours to increase the possibility of participation in cultural life and cultural goods and services, especially for disregarded or vulnerable groups. The current health crisis has further proven the influence of culture on collective well-being and the importance of local connections for development issues and solutions.
The objectives of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network are executed both at the level of the member cities and at the international level, particularly through sharing experiences, knowledge, and optimal strategies. Policies and measures for sustainable urban development have been compiled, and communication and activities have been set up to raise awareness.
Experimental projects, partnerships, initiatives, and professional and artistic exchange programs and networks are encouraged for studying, researching, and evaluating the experience of the Creative Cities.
The management and mission of the UCCN change as improvements become available to enhance its impact, with an international development agenda that credits the role of culture in sustainable urban development. The UCCN proposes activities to continuously gather information on experiences, develop guidelines and test initiatives. Communication activities are set up to promote member cities’ visibility and networking.
The UCCN’s objectives include showcasing innovative solutions and managing network growth while ensuring geographic representation and financial sustainability. The
Using existing governance mechanisms, setting up a new funding framework, and implementing a co-creative partnership mechanism, the UCCN can continue to grow and help the world develop sustainably.
Demonstrating commitment to the UCCN’s mission statement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is required every four years by submitting Membership Monitoring Reports. These reports highlight achievements, identify successful policies, and are supported by evidence-based action plans, ultimately assessing the impact of being a Creative City.
Benefits of Joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network
By joining the UCCN, cities can showcase their cultural assets and how creativity is essential to local economic and social development. The UCCN allows cities to share knowledge across cultural clusters worldwide that they can use to build local capacity in the cultural sector.
Being a member of the UCCN enables cities to cultivate innovation by exchanging know-how, experiences, and technological expertise while promoting and engaging in national and international markets with diverse cultural products.
The UCCN encourages local collaboration among cultural stakeholders, leading to effective global cooperation. Member cities can therefore pool resources and knowledge to support the objectives of the UCCN. By supporting cultural diversity and catering to members from different demographics, economic, social, cultural, and environmental settings, a dynamic group of cities is formed, a major resource for sustainable development.
The UCCN also engages local agents in international development initiatives, stimulating knowledge exchange and creating new tourism opportunities by fostering creative clusters and innovative cultural assets. Local UCCN agents are encouraged to understand the needs of the individuals and organizations directly involved in and actively working within a cultural and creative field to achieve particular and effective sharing out of resources.
Guidelines for Joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network
The UCCN covers seven creative fields: Literature, Cinema, Music, Design, Media Arts, Crafts and Folk Art, and Gastronomy. One of these fields must be chosen for a city to join the network. Information about the city’s cultural assets, creative industries, and commitment to global cooperation is required in the application, as well as how the city meets the requirements of the field chosen. Each creative field has specific criteria for cities to follow when applying:
Literature:
- Quality, quantity, and diversity of editorial initiatives and publishing houses.
- Quality and quantity of educational programs focused on domestic or foreign literature.
- Literary environment and experience in hosting literary events and festivals.
- Libraries, bookstores, and cultural centres are dedicated to preserving and promoting literature.
- Efforts by the publishing sector to translate literary works from diverse languages.
- Active media involvement promoting literature and literary products.
Cinema:
- Important cinema-related infrastructure, such as film studios and landscapes.
- Links to film production, distribution, and commercialization.
- Experience in hosting film festivals and events.
- Collaborative initiatives at local, regional, and international levels.
- Film heritage, including archives, museums, and collections.
- Filmmaking schools and training centres.
- Efforts to disseminate locally or nationally produced films.
- Initiatives promoting knowledge-sharing on foreign films.
Music:
- Recognized centres of musical creation and activity.
- Experience in hosting national or international musical festivals and events.
- Promotion of the music industry in all its forms.
- Music schools, conservatories, and higher education institutions specialize in music.
- Informal arrangements for music education, including amateur choirs and orchestras.
- Domestic or international platforms are dedicated to specific music genres or music from other countries.
- Cultural spaces suitable for practising and listening to music.
Crafts and Folk Art:
- Long-lasting tradition in a particular form of folk art or craft.
- A contemporary production of crafts and folk art.
- A strong presence of craft makers and local artists.
- Training centres related to crafts and folk art-related occupations.
- Efforts to promote crafts and folk art through festivals, exhibitions, fairs, etc.
- Facilities relevant to crafts and folk art, e.g., museums, handicraft stores, and local art fairs.
Design:
- Established design industry.
- A cultural landscape fuelled by design and the built environment.
- Design schools and research centres.
- Practising groups of creators and designers with continuous activity.
- Experience in presenting fairs, events, and exhibits dedicated to design.
- There are opportunities for urban planners and designers to utilize local materials and urban/natural conditions.
- Design-driven creative industries, e.g., architecture, fashion, interaction design, etc.
Media Arts:
- Development of cultural and creative industries generated by digital technology.
- Successful media arts integration improving urban life.
- Growth of electronic art forms involving civil society participation.
- Access to culture through digital technology development.
- Residency programs and studio spaces for media artists.
Gastronomy:
- Well-developed gastronomy characteristic of the urban centre or region.
- Vibrant gastronomy community with traditional restaurants or chefs.
- Use of locally-sourced ingredients in traditional cuisine.
- Local knowledge and traditional culinary practices and methods of cooking.
- Traditional food markets and industry.
- A tradition of hosting gastronomic festivals, awards, contests, etc.
- Promotion of sustainable local products and environmental respect.
- Nurturing public appreciation and promoting nutrition and biodiversity conservation in cooking schools’ curricula.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network Annual Conference
The Annual Conference is held once a year (except in case of unforeseen and uncontrollable events or circumstances. The event is hosted by one of the Creative Cities, while all other member cities of the network are to participate in these meetings. The 14th UCCN Annual Conference occurred in Santos, Brazil, in March 2022. The next UCCN Annual Conferences will be held in Istanbul in 2023 and Braga in 2024.
The conferences offer unique occasions to strengthen the ties between cities worldwide, serving as a space to identify the objectives of an expanded and well-balanced network. The conferences are held to exchange updated information on activities carried out by cities that act on the aims of the UCCN at local and international levels while forming new inter-city partnership initiatives. Other matters also focus on include determining and agreeing on significant issues relating to future developments, including the UCCN’s priorities for the coming year. The conferences offer a chance for communication between the Creative Cities and UNESCO regarding issues of importance on culture and development and other issues of mutual interest.
Conclusion
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network is a platform for cities to promote creativity and cultural diversity in sustainable urban development. Through sharing experiences, fostering local and global cooperation, and targeting resources effectively, the UCCN supports the integration of culture and creativity into urban planning. It creates a vibrant and innovative environment for member cities.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network is a testament to the transformative power of culture and creativity in shaping the sustainable cities of tomorrow. It is a dynamic platform for nurturing local cooperation, exchanging knowledge, and highlighting innovative solutions for urban development. By promoting cultural diversity, supporting marginalized groups, and integrating culture into sustainable urban strategies, the network strives to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives.
The UCCN envisions a future where creative cities flourish as leaders of innovation, social unity, and sustainable progress. As member cities continue to share experiences, make use of the best practices, and cooperate internationally, they build a more interconnected and prosperous world, one creative city at a time.
For further information on the Creative Cities Network, please visit www.unesco.org.
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Image List
- The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) Logo.
Cult-CreaTE (2021). Dundee City of Design achievements as a member of the Creative Cities Network of UNESCO | Interreg Europe – Sharing solutions for better policy. Interregeurope.eu. Available at: https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/dundee-city-of-design-achievements-as-a-member-of-the-creative-cities-network-of-unesco [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- Creativity matters in cities.
Pngegg.com (2013). Green and gray city, Pollution Sustainable city Eco-cities, creative city, city, landscape png. Pngegg.com. Available at: https://www.pngegg.com/en/png-yqwid/download [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- Policies and measures for sustainable urban development have been compiled, and
communication and activities have been set up to raise awareness.
ICCSD (2021). UNESCO Creative Cities Network: Creativity and Culture Promote International Cooperation and Sustainable Development-International Center for Creativity and Sustainable Development under the Auspices of UNESCO. City.cri.cn. Available at: https://city.cri.cn/20210402/71d91fa5-bca2-de96-1422-b1be857f6ca9.html [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- UCCN also engages local agents in international development initiatives.
Pngegg.com (2023). Travel Agent Corporate travel management resolution Hotel, Creative Earth and building sites, world famous landmarks, building, grass png | PNGEgg. [online] Pngegg.com. Available at: https://www.pngegg.com/en/png-bzsgz/download [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- Creative field: Literature
Pixabay (2017a). Labeled Book Lot · Free Stock Photo. Pexels. Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bookcase-books-collection-cover-207636/ [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- Creative field: Cinema
Miroshnichenko, T. (2021). Cartoon Movie Showing on Theater Screen · Free Stock Photo. Pexels. Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cartoon-movie-showing-on-theater-screen-7991579/ [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- Creative field: Music
Custódio Da Silva, G. (2019). Photo of Two Native Americans Playing Woodwind Instruments · Free Stock Photo. Pexels. Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-two-native-americans-playing-woodwind-instruments-2539269/ [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- Creative field: Crafts and Folk Art
DLKR (2020). Wishes Written in Ema · Free Stock Photo. Pexels. Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/wishes-written-in-ema-5493270/ [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- Creative field: Design
Rivero, I. (2018). Low Angle Photography of Stained Glass Ceiling · Free Stock Photo. Pexels. Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photography-of-stained-glass-ceiling-1599478/ [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- Creative field: Media Arts
Pixabay (2017b). Person Holding Black Ipad · Free Stock Photo. Pexels. Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/app-business-connection-device-221185/ [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- Creative field: Gastronomy
Los Muertos Crew (2021). Mouth Watering Grilled Barbeque Meat · Free Stock Photo. Pexels. Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/mouth-watering-grilled-barbeque-meat-8279974/ [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- The Annual Conference is hosted by one of the Creative Cities every year.
Pngegg.com (2019). Travel Tourism graphy Infographic, city,travel,Globalization, multicolored city illustration, text, city png | PNGEgg. [online] Pngegg.com. Available at: https://www.pngegg.com/en/png-bbhwf/download [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
- The UCCN is a platform for cities to promote creativity and cultural diversity in sustainable urban development.
Pngwing.com (2023). Creative city deductible elements, city, geometric shapes, square png . Pngwing.com. Available at: https://www.pngwing.com/en/free-png-dkhvz/download [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].
