UNESCO Creative Cities Research Articles

Global policy diffusion as a socially constructed process: Insights from UNESCO Creative Cities Network’s shift towards the Global South

This study examines the diffusion of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, focusing on the dynamics of four core diffusion mechanisms and reinterpreting them within a multi-agent framework. This approach enhances understanding of policy diffusion as a socially constructed process, emphasizing the heterogeneous pathways that various agents navigate within a single mechanism. Such variances are vital for grasping the complexities of why policies diffuse or fail, aspects that often escape traditional quantitative methods. In tracing the UNESCO Creative Cities Network’s diffusion from the Global North to South, we highlight UNESCO’s pivotal role in steering diffusion to reflect its evolving priorities; how cities appropriate the UNESCO Creative Cities Network to legitimize their policy goals and actions; the differing capabilities of cities from the Global North and Global South in negotiating and adopting such a global policy; and the tendency of global policies to diffuse among countries that are culturally proximate, as demonstrated by cultural distance index.

A Study on the Regional Branding Strategy of UNESCO's Creative City : Based on Sapporo, a City of UNESCO's Media Art Creation

A Study on the Regional Branding Strategy of UNESCO's Creative City : Based on Sapporo, a City of UNESCO's Media Art Creation

Building an Innovative Learning Ecosystem: A Model for Secondary Schools in Hanoi, Vietnam

In an era characterized by rapid technological advancements and evolving educational needs, the development of innovative learning ecosystems is crucial for fostering creativity and critical thinking among students. This study investigates the components and characteristics of such an ecosystem tailored for secondary schools in Hanoi, Vietnam, a city recognized as a UNESCO Creative City. Grounded in theories of system, ecology, connection, and creativity, the proposed model emphasizes the integration of technology and creative teaching methods. The research identifies five primary elements of the innovative learning ecosystem: creative learning individuals; creative knowledge; smart technology; creative context; and cultures, innovative institutions, strategies. Each primary element includes secondary components with distinct characteristics, providing a comprehensive framework for schools to develop their specific ecosystems. Grounded in theories of systems, ecology, connection, and creativity, the research highlights the importance of technology and creative teaching methods in fostering a holistic and sustainable educational environment. The proposed model facilitates interactions at multiple levels, encompassing schools, families, and society, aiming to enhance academic outcomes, holistic development, and contributions to economic and cultural growth. The study identifies the necessity of a supportive policy framework, investment in teacher training, and active stakeholder engagement for the successful implementation and sustainability of the innovative learning ecosystem. This research contributes to the broader understanding of educational innovation, underscoring the significance of creativity in addressing global challenges and promoting economic development.

Unpacking a global spatial brand: brand management practices in the UNESCO City of Gastronomy Network

Purpose This study investigates the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy Network as a global spatial brand and explore the tensions that emerge when this global brand is appropriated locally. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on case study research that uses critical discourse analysis to identify the implications of a transferable learning capacity. Findings This paper identifies three different types of tensions in place brand management that emerge during the local appropriation of global brands: tensions inherent in multi-scalarity, tensions associated with integrating governance and strategy-related tensions. Originality/value This study advances the theoretical understanding of the spatial complexity inherent in place brand management practices by focusing on the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy Network as a global brand in a Scandinavian context.

UNESCO creative city candidacy: a miltonian analysis

This study analyzes a municipality's application to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), using a documentary analysis grounded in Milton Santos's concepts. Findings highlight the need for professional training in gastronomy to meet global challenges and establish a Management Committee to oversee urban development, assess its performance, and assess the action plan's projects. The study offers insights into the impacts of urban development policies, the standardization of institutional practices, and the effectiveness of UCCN's sustainable development initiatives.

Analisis Penggunaan Batik Secara Efektif Pada Implementasi Produk Lokal

Preserving local culture, especially batik, is an important aspect of sustainable development in Indonesia. This research aims to see how people in Indonesia realize how important it is to preserve batik culture, especially for the community to encourage local products. This research uses a qualitative descriptive method with primary data in the form of observations and interviews and secondary data in the form of literature studies, including books, journals and other internet sources. The research results found that efforts to preserve batik continue, driven by the government's commitment as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Through the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), creative cities like Pekalongan can become models of sustainable development by combining aspects of creativity, arts education and cultural heritage preservation. In this way, local culture is not only a national identity, but also an instrument for achieving overall sustainable development goals.

IDENTIFIKASI KARAKTERISTIK RUANG KREATIF DALAM MENDUKUNG KOTA KREATIF: STUDI KASUS KOTA BANDUNG

Bandung City exemplifies this as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. While the government establishes creative spaces like the Bandung Creative Hub, organic community-driven spaces also thrive. Each space possesses unique characteristics, but ideal creative spaces should meet criteria related to institutional support, flexible regulations, and diverse human resources. This mixed-methods study aims to identify the characteristics of Bandung's creative spaces based on institutional, regulatory, and human resource aspects. Qualitative data from interviews will be quantitatively assessed to compare with ideal criteria. Understanding these characteristics can inform urban planning and policy for fostering creative economies. Furthermore, creative space is also believed that it can foster creativity, innovation, and knowledge-based economic growth.

Homecoming

This article details the author’s journey through her hometown of Kuching, Sarawak, and the multisensorial experience of revisiting familial homes and key culinary heritage sites around the city. The everyday and the mundane are highlighted as key features which hold together the rich mosaic of the culinary traditions and history of Kuching. Kuching has recently been recognised as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, which acknowledges its unique blend of historical and contemporary culinary practices. This article examines what this means for a city where hawker food culture is the lifeblood of Kuching, but also where a burgeoning gastronomic scene is increasingly drawing attention on the international stage. It argues for a revaluation of the traditional binaries between local food vendors (hawkers) and professional chefs, suggesting that both contribute to the city’s culinary landscape. This approach will help form a comprehensive and inclusive understanding of Kuching as a UNESCO Creative City. It will also guide future efforts to establish sustainable and locally based food supply chains in the city.

Consuming the creative city: gastrodevelopment in a UNESCO creative city of gastronomy

ABSTRACT Scholars have recently coined the term “gastrodevelopment” to refer to the increasingly visible relationships between food, food culture, and processes of urban development. As a paradigm, gastrodevelopment is premised on the leveraging of food culture as a resource and strategy of economic development. In this article, drawing on a case study of Tucson, Arizona – the United States’ first UNESCO City of Gastronomy – we use the lens of gastrodevelopment to examine how food culture is transformed into a form of symbolic capital that animates a broader project of urban development. Drawing on the work of Bourdieu, we trace how everyday food heritage, traditions, and practices are transformed into gastronomic capital in an effort to attract tourists, new residents, and investment. We show how this transformation encodes differentials of value that are racialized and racializing and risk contributing to Tucson’s geographies of uneven development. We then turn to community visions of food-based development to imagine alternative trajectories for the Creative City of Gastronomy designation and gastrodevelopment more broadly.

Analysis of the Evaluation Criteria of UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy

Analysis of the Evaluation Criteria of UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy

Traditional Foraged Spice, Sauce, and Egg-Painting Plants of Hatay, Türkiye: Bringing the Traditional into Commerce

In the province of Hatay in Turkey, which has been added to the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy list in recent years and has made significant progress in gastronomy tourism, answers were sought to the following questions: What kinds of change have these developments caused in traditional foraging spice/sauce uses? In the 21st century, is it still possible to introduce new herbal products from the wild into agriculture? What effects does the multi-ethnic structure have on the traditional use of spices/sauces/food coloring plants? How have the uses of spices and sauces changed over the years? In addition, what level of spice/sauce variety was obtained by foraging in this Eastern Mediterranean province? Some spices, e.g., Thymbra spicata, which were supplied by foraging, have started to be obtained through agriculture due to the increasing demand following the city's entry into the UNESCO gastronomy cities list, and have become an important income source for the city. These plants, which are brought into agriculture from the local flora, are also important as alternative agricultural products that can be easily grown with minimum agricultural input in the climate and therefore water crisis conditions our world is facing. Some unique plant usages presented here, e.g., egg painting plants used by spring fests of various ethnoreligious populations, show how different ethnoreligious populations can affect each other when living in harmony for centuries. 
 Hatay was the province that suffered the most destruction in the earthquake of February 6, 2023. We hope that this article, written just before the earthquake, will provide socio-economic guidance in the rebuilding of the city.

An Evaluation of Savat Handicraft in Van in the Context of the Crafts and Folk Arts Theme of UNESCO Creative Cities Network

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Van’ın geleneksel el sanatlarından birisi olan Savat işçiliğinin Birleşmiş Milletler Eğitim, Bilim ve Kültür Kurumu (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation [UNESCO]) Yaratıcı Şehirler Ağı Programı’na Zanaat ve Halk Sanatları teması altında katılma durumunu tespit etmektir. Ayrıca, Savat işçiliğinin mevcut durumunu, yaşanılan problemleri, kamu ve özel sektöre ne gibi sorumluluklar düştüğünü belirleyerek birtakım öneriler getirebilmek amaçlanmaktadır. Nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden fenomenoloji (olgubilim) kullanıldığı bu araştırmada, amaçlı örnekleme yöntemlerinden maksimum çeşitlilik örneklemesi tercih edilmiştir. Bu kapsamda araştırmanın evreni Van İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü, Van’da yaşayan profesyonel turist rehberleri, Van’da faaliyet gösteren seyahat acenteleri ve Van’da yaşayan Savat ustaları ile Van’da görev yapan akademisyenlerden oluşmaktadır. Araştırma soruları ilgili literatürün taranmasıyla oluşturulmuş ve veriler yarı yapılandırılmış mülakat formuyla elde edilmiştir. Verilerin analizi süresi boyunca, alınan cevaplar ayıklanmış, ardından betimsel analize tabi tutulmuştur. Araştırmada elde edilen bulgulara göre hammaddenin pahalı olması, ilgisizlik, tanıtım faaliyetlerinin yapılamaması, sivil toplum kuruluşlarına ihtiyaç duyulması, eğitim yönünden yetersizlikler, ürünlerin tek düze olarak yapılması, yurtiçi pazarlar olarak Türkiye’nin Batı bölgeleri, yurtdışı hedef Pazar olarka ise Rusya, Kafkasya, Avrupa ülkeleri olduğu ve UNESCO Yaratıcı Şehirler Ağına Van’ın girmesi durumunda, şehirde geceleme sayısının artacağı, Van’ın daha bilinir hale geleceğini ve yerel halkın yabancı dil öğrenmeye başlayacağı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Acceptance of Insects as Food: An Exploratory Study of Young Consumers in Macau

Substitute foods are increasingly popular to reduce our environmental footprint and promote food security. As the world population is expected to grow and food resources become scarce, insects as food have recently gained attention as a viable alternative. In the present study, a model grounded on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is proposed and analyzed through structural equation modeling software (SmartPLS) to assess consumers' intentions toward insects as food. Except for subjective norm, both attitude and perceived behavioral control were key determinants of intention and, in turn, of actual use behaviour. Despite insects being consumed in nearly 1/4 of the sample (for instance in Chinese medicine), the study found that respondents were on average relatively unwilling to use them as a dietary habit. Also, it appeared that men were more likely to consume insects as food than women. The insights of our study have important implications for practitioners and policymakers seeking to promote sustainable nutritional practices among consumers. This study is particularly relevant for Macau, as the city positions itself as a "UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy" with the aim to develop internationally a unique and sustainable food image.

Cultural Mapping Tools and Co-Design Process: A Content Analysis to Layering Perspectives on the Creative Production of Space

This study draws on the lessons learned during a summer school on cultural mapping (CM), which linked these methodologies and the co-design process to the city’s re-application to the UNESCO creative city designation. The event implemented artistic and participatory approaches, such as experimental initiatives that focused on the involvement of artists—the main creative producers of space—to foster participatory governance processes and reflect on the validity of the UNESCO label and its inherent monoculture emphasis. A content analysis of the course was done to provide a conceptual analysis of the theory and practice of cultural mapping that is generally under-theorized. By situating the course’s exercises in the theoretical triad of Lefebvre’s social production of space, the article indicates a possible structure for multi-perspective layering toward the participatory practices on the creative production of space. The results show that there is still no consistent way of presenting CM methodologies and processes, and for that CM remains not fully integrated into the planning and development practices of places. The study suggests further investigation on the links between cultural mapping and design science for co-design process crafting, and cultural mapping tool selection according to the different stages of multi-stakeholder work on articulating people-place meanings.

The use of intangible heritage and creative industries as a tourism asset in the UNESCO creative cities network

The creative economy has been recognized as key in urban development and planning, which the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) consolidates. While benefiting from the label, the tourism sector also plays a fundamental role in the creative strategy. This paper explores how intangible heritage and creative industries can work as a tourism asset for creative cities and thus participate in their development. An NVivo thematic content analysis of all the tourism-related actions listed in the UCCN reports was performed to identify what types of cultural tourism products and actions are linked to the creative cities and to understand how they relate to their UNESCO creative fields to detect gaps and potentials. Tourism activity represents 17% of the total actions listed in the creative cities’ reports, mostly concentrated in the Crafts & Folk Art field. The empirical results highlight tendencies that can be applied and adapted to future destinations with intangible assets on their territory and that want to work with the creative industries. Thus, this paper unveils an underexplored potential of synergies between two important economic and creative activities.

Branding the Creative City of Design: Lesson from Singapore

Over the last two decades, creative cities have become an issue of interest as governments in several countries have worked to develop ecosystems where the creative class can innovate and share ideas. Many city governments focus more on developing creative cities and pay less attention to their city's branding. This study aims to see Singapore as a newly appointed UNESCO creative city brand, even though it already has a destination brand. There are challenges about which brand should come first or how to strategically brand a city and ensure all interests are accommodated in the branding process. This study uses a qualitative method with in-depth interview data collection techniques with the Head of the Singapore Polytechnic Department of Architecture and Design, literature studies through books, journals, newspapers, and related matters, as well as observations in the city of Singapore. The results of this study show that Singapore's branding as a creative city of design is a component of the city-state's leading branding. First, the city branding process includes identifying the uniqueness of the city brand. In this case, the emphasis on Singapore is built and grown by design. Next is the development of a brand identity that differentiates Singapore from other UNESCO design creative cities. Finally, the delivery of brand messages to all relevant stakeholders. This research contributes to the development of branding concepts related to creative cities.

진주교방문화 콘텐츠 연구

In this paper, focusing on the case of Hanamachi in Kyoto, Japan, we considered how to revitalize Gyobang cultural contents in Jinju-si. Hanamachi in Kyoto is a place where geisha actually exist, and it is a successful example of historical and cultural content where the culture of the Edo period continues to the modern day. Through the case of Hanamachi in Kyoto, which is the most active among the remaining Hanamachi in Japan, we sought ways to revitalize various Gyobang cultural contents owned by Jinju. To this end, Jinju Gyobang cultural contents were classified into person content, place content, and food content. As a result, Jinju's Gyobang Cultural Content is a local specialized resource and has a very high possibility of developing tourism content. Jinju is currently a UNESCO creative city recognized for its historical and traditional characteristics of culture and art. With these points as assets, Jinju City can use Gyobang culture as a traditional cultural tourism resource in Jinju Bay by linking it with various contents of Jinju, just as Kyoto in Japan continues the tradition of geisha culture as a historical and cultural content by utilizing tourist attractions around Hanamachi. To this end, above all, Jinju citizens’ firm will to revitalize the culture of Jinju Gyobang should be the basis.

Reviewing the role of cultural and creative industries in developing an urban cultural policy platform in Rasht city, Iran

Purpose In spite of controversies in academia, various nations around the world have been propounding the importance of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) as the driving force in economic growth and development strategies. Accordingly, this research aims to understand how these industries could contribute to forming a cultural and creative policy scheme in an urban context that is structured based on local cultural assets. Design/methodology/approach The case analysis of Rasht city, a UNESCO Creative City, assesses the planning policies from the national to the regional level to determine the cultural policy planning platform of Creative Rasht in four phases of urban cultural resources, municipal objectives, festival urban branding and the role of stakeholders, which are fashioned by the integrated cultural identity and sustainable city. This is followed by semi-structured interviews with experts and young researchers in the field of culture-led urban regeneration to evaluate different phases of the policy planning process. Findings By means of the qualitative method and ethnographic research, this paper argues that managerial regulations for local cultural industries contribute not only to the reinforcement of cultural resources but also to urban cultural sustainable development. Originality/value Building on empirical research, this paper attempts to argue the significant role of local CCIs alongside social values in creating a creative city platform, given the necessity for an urban cultural platform in Iran. It also emphasises the importance of local communities’ participation in the decision-making process and awareness-raising among different groups of stakeholders.

Country image of gastronomy and branding Hawker Culture: Local consumers' perception

This study examined local food diners' perceptions of gastronomy—composed of food, country image, and culture—in Singapore, a city-state. This study successfully identified the country image associated with gastronomy by adopting the concept of UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy and explored the impact of country image on the local diners' perception of Hawker Culture as a country brand, based on the brand resonance model. Image factors (food outlets and restaurants, food activities, education and training, and local ingredients and cooking skills) were explored. The perceived facets of the country were linked to awareness, which in turn stimulated the love for Hawker Culture in forming loyalty. This research provides discernments to rejuvenate and promote Singapore as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, which will pave the way for the continuous support of Hawker Culture from residents as a notable cultural icon.

Keberlanjutan Unesco Creative City Network di Kota Pekalongan (Analisis Aktor dan Hambatan Pada Kota Kreatif)

The aim of this research is to explain how the sustainabiliy of UNESCO Creative City Network predicate for Pekalongan City based on the actors involved and success indicators for Pekalongan City in order to mention the barriers appeared that associated with the continuity of the UCCN This research used Qualitative approach and supported by simple Quantitative method by collecting data technique using depth interviews, observations, document studies and questionnaire with 100 respondents. The research result shows that the sustainability of creative city in Pekalongan are in the state of suspended animation and still being ruled out because there are other things to be considered more important by Pekalongan Government. Tools and infrastucture are not available such as there is no creative room and abandoned technopark construction. Besides, the integrity of actor has not been tied together well because the differences of opinion and mindset. Pekalongan Creative City Forum (PCCF) has not been able to take the role maximally so thereby appeared the barriers along with the sustainability of the UCCN. To do so requires efforts to give socializations and knowledge transfer to the society, in addition to create tools and infrastucture to support the creative city especially in building a place where involved actors can gather together.