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News & events > Substantial expansion in UNESCO Creative Cities Network announced

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01 Nov 2019

Substantial expansion in UNESCO Creative Cities Network announced

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network has grown by 37%. In October 2019, 66 new cities have been designated as UNESCO Creative Cities, bringing the total to 246 cities. As laboratories of ideas and innovative practices, the UNESCO Creative Cities bring a tangible contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through innovative thinking and action. Through their commitment, cities are championing sustainable development actions that directly benefit communities at urban level.

All over the world, these cities, each in its way, make culture the pillar, not an accessory, of their strategy,” says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “This favours political and social innovation and is particularly important for the young generations.”

Among the new 66 UNESCO Creative Cities in Asia and Europe are:

  • Ambon (Indonesia) – Music
  • Angoulême (France) – Literature
  • Asahikawa (Japan) – Design
  • Ballarat (Australia) – Crafts and Folk Art
  • Bangkok (Thailand) – Design
  • Bendigo (Australia) – Gastronomy
  • Bergamo (Italy) – Gastronomy
  • Biella (Italy) – Crafts and Folk Art
  • Caldas da Rainha (Portugal) – Crafts and Folk Art
  • Cebu City (Philippines) – Design
  • Exeter (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) – Literature
  • Hanoi (Vietnam) – Design  
  • Hyderabad (India) – Gastronomy
  • Jinju (Republic of Korea) – Crafts and Folk Art
  • Kargopol (Russian Federation) – Crafts and Folk Art
  • Karlsruhe (Germany) – Media Arts
  • Kazan (Russian Federation) – Music
  • Kuhmo (Finland) – Literature
  • Lahore (Pakistan) – Literature
  • Leeuwarden (Netherlands) – Literature
  • Leiria (Portugal) – Music
  • Lliria (Spain) – Music
  • Metz (France) – Music
  • Mumbai (India) – Film
  • Nanjing (China) – Literature
  • Potsdam (Germany) – Film
  • Sukhothai (Thailand) – Crafts and Folk Art
  • Valladolid (Spain) – Film
  • Veszprém (Hungary) – Music
  • Viborg (Denmark) – Media Arts
  • Viljandi (Estonia) – Crafts and Folk Art
  • Wellington (New Zealand) – Film
  • Wonju (Republic of Korea) – Literature
  • Wrocław (Poland) – Literature
  • Yangzhou (China) – Gastronomy

This year's designations increased the number of creative cities in the network by over a third. 

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network now counts a total of 246 cities.

The member cities that form part of the Network come from all continents and regions with different income levels and populations. They work together towards a common mission: placing creativity and the creative economy at the core of their urban development plans to make cities safe, resilient, inclusive and sustainable, in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.