Italian UNESCO Creative Cities form new Coordination body

Eleven Italian UNESCO Creative Cities have established a new Coordination body to promote creativity-driven territorial development. The agreement was announced during the Torino Design of the City event. The network, originally created by UNESCO in 2004, includes 246 cities worldwide divided into seven cultural sectors: Music, Literature, Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Media Arts, Gastronomy, and Film. The Italian members are Alba, Bergamo, Parma (gastronomy); Biella, Carrara, Fabriano (crafts); Bologna, Pesaro (music); Milan (literature); Rome (film); and Turin (design). The Coordination will serve as a platform for reflection and research on new economies, fostering connections between culture, economic development, and tourism beyond individual thematic boundaries. Key priorities include establishing a privileged channel with UNESCO and planning targeted interventions to increase visibility for projects. The Coordination will identify collaborative projects across multiple cities, creating networks spanning large areas of Italy. Fabriano will lead the Coordination, leveraging its experience from the 2019 Annual Meeting, with support from Carrara and Pesaro. Turin will host the next meetings in 2021 and 2022.