UNESCO Creative Cities Network
The Bydgoszcz Application to the UNESCO Network of Creative Cities is a natural consequence of the evolution of the approach to culture that has been going on in our city since the Bydgoszcz Congress of Culture and the events that followed:
- signing of the Pact for Culture
- creation of a Civic Strategy for Cultural Development and the resulting municipal strategy
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network program proposes, in essence, the same philosophy of action that guided Bydgoszcz in adopting Agenda 21 for Culture and creating the application program for the European Capital of Culture competition.
Indeed, the goal of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network program is to increase public awareness of the importance of culture and its pro-development potential in various areas of social life, including the economy, to foster the emergence of innovative centers of creativity, cultural goods and services, and to increase access to and participation in culture, especially for marginalized groups.
By joining the Network, the cities reaffirm their commitment to developing partnerships, promoting creativity, sharing best practices and strengthening residents’ cultural participation.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network covers seven fields of creativity: literature, music, film, arts and crafts and folk art, design, gastronomy and media arts. Currently, the Network brings together 246 cities representing various fields of cultural activity.
TheNetwork includes six Polish cities. In 2013, the title of Creative City in the field of literature was awarded to Krakow, in 2015 to Katowice (music), and in 2017 to Łódź (film), in 2019 to Wrocław (literature), and in 2021 to Gdynia (film). The youngest, sixth city in the Network is Bydgoszcz, which joined on October 31, 2023 (music).
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network Program is partnering with UNESCO to implement the 17 Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development established by the UN in 2015 and the New Urban Agenda (2016).
Mission
Established in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network aims to strengthen cooperation with and among cities that recognize creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable development in its economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects.
By joining the Network, cities recognize their commitment to sharing good practices, developing partnerships to promote creativity and cultural industries, increasing cultural participation and integrating culture into city development plans.
Cities pledge to support the United Nations programs, in particular the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network brings together cities in seven creative fields: arts and crafts and folk art, media arts, film, design, gastronomy, literature and music.
Objectives and spheres of action
The goals of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network are realized both at the level of member cities and at the international level, in particular through the following spheres of activity:
- Sharing experiences, knowledge and good practices;
- Implementing pilot projects, partnerships and initiatives linking the public sector, private sector and civil society institutions;
- Networks and art exchange programs;
- studies, research and evaluation processes analyzing the experience of Creative Cities;
- Policies and measures taken to ensure sustainable urban development;
- Communication and awareness-raising activities.
