CULTURA, CREATIVITÀ E AGENDA DI SOSTENIBILITÀ: L'ESPERIENZA DI ÖSTERSUND NELLA RETE DELLE CITTÀ CREATIVE DELL'UNESCO

Abstract

During the last decade, cities around the world have promoted creativity as a resource for regeneration and new development. As a result, a number of efforts have emerged around this theme and many cities today seek to identify themselves as “creative hubs”. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is one example of a network of cities that attempts to use creativity as a mechanism to achieve sustainable growth and development as envisioned by Agenda 2030. The network has grown rapidly since its inception in 2004 and now has 180 members worldwide that have all adopted the UCCN guidelines and directives. In this paper, the authors explore the connections between membership in the network and implementation of sustainable development goals. The paper uses the northern Swedish city of Östersund as a case study, which has been an active member of the UCCN since 2010. Study findings indicate that membership in the UCCN has enabled Östersund to advance sustainability discourse at a regional level, as well as improved practice in a limited sense. At the same time, findings also identify a number of challenges for integrating sustainability objectives at the regional level as well as directly into the UCCN.

Keywords

• Creative Cities
• Sustainable Development
• UNESCO
• Östersund