UNESCO announces 58 new Creative Cities, including first Cities of Architecture UNESCO announces 58 new Creative Cities, including first Cities of Architecture

UNESCO has added 58 places to its Creative Cities Network, including its very first Cities of Architecture.

To date, there are 408 cities across more than 100 countries within the network. Until now, there were only seven creative fields that cities can gain designation through: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music.

The initial list of UNESCO Creative Cities of Architecture includes Bistrita in Romania, Kashan in Iran, Lusail in Qatar, Quito in Ecuador and Rovaniemi in Finland.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said, “UNESCO Creative Cities demonstrate that culture and creative industries can be concrete drivers of development. By welcoming 58 new cities, we are strengthening a Network where creativity supports local initiatives, attracts investments, and promote social cohesion.”

The full list of new UNESCO Creative Cities is as follows:

• Aberystwyth, Wales, UK – Literature
• Abuja, Nigeria – Literature
• Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia – Gastronomy
• Andenne, Belgium – Crafts and Folk Art
• Bistrita, Romania – Architecture
• Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso – Crafts and Folk Art
• Celje, Slovenia – Literature
• Cheongju City, South Korea – Crafts and Folk Art
• Conakry, Guinea – Literature
• Cuenca, Spain – Gastronomy
• Daugavpils, Latvia – Design
• Dumaguete City, Philippines – Literature
• Echizen City, Japan – Crafts and Folk Art
• Evian, France – Music
• Faenza, Italy – Crafts and Folk Art
• Gdańsk, Poland – Literature
• Giza, Egypt – Film
• Hebron, Palestine –  Crafts and Folk Art
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Film
• Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany – Crafts and Folk Art
• Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye – Literature
• Kashan, Iran – Architecture
• Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada – Gastronomy
• Kisumu, Kenya – Music
• Korhogo, Ivory Coast – Music
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Design
• Kyiv, Ukraine – Music
• La Spezia, Italy – Design
• Lalitpur, Nepal – Music
• Liège,  Belgium – Music
• Lubango, Angola – Crafts and Folk Art
• Lucknow, India – Gastronomy
• Lund, Sweden – Literature
• Lusail, Qatar – Architecture
• Malang, Indonesia – Media Arts
• Manizales, Colombia – Gastronomy
• Masaya, Nicaragua – Crafts and Folk Art
• Matosinhos, Portugal – Gastronomy
• Nan, Thailand – Crafts and Folk Art
• New Orleans, Louisiana, USA – Music
• Nikšić, Montenegro – Music
• Ponorogo, Indonesia – Crafts and Folk Art
• Quanzhou, China – Gastronomy
• Quezon City, Philippines – Film
• Quito, Ecuador – Architecture
• Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Design
• Rovaniemi, Finland – Architecture
• Safi, Morocco – Crafts and Folk Art
• San Javier de Loncomilla, Chile – Gastronomy
• San Luis Potosí, Mexico – Literature
• São Paulo, Brazil – Film
• Sarchí, Costa Rica – Crafts and Folk Art
• Sifnos, Greece – Crafts and Folk Art
• Songkhla, Thailand – Gastronomy
• Tangier, Morocco – Literature
• Varna, Bulgaria – Media Arts
• Wuxi, China – Music
• Zaragoza, Spain – Gastronomy

The new additions were announced on World Cities Day on 31 October.

More information: unesco.org

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