We are living in the midst of the urban century. Though it is common knowledge that the world is urbanizing, it can be striking to visualize this growth on a map. Urban growth – particularly in megacities – can create distinct challenges including housing shortages, air pollution, congestion, and more. However,
Container City is located about two hours outside of Mexico City in Cholula, and is comprised of about 50 standard shipping containers. The developers took 4500 sq meters (48,500sq.ft) of space and plopped down the containers, stacking them to create courtyards, alleys and streets. The containers were then painted bright
The Association of European Cities and Regions for Culture “Les Rencontres” is pleased to announce the organisation of its next conference “La Rencontre de Fontenay-sous-Bois” to be held in Fontenay-sous-Bois/ Paris from 5 to 7 March 2015. It will be devoted to the topical theme of “Arts/ Cultures/ Migrations”. In
In 2018, the Maltese capital of Valetta will be crowned as a European Capital of Culture. The nuances of Malta as a destination are easy to miss. Its relative remoteness has helped preserve a brand of old European life that has become increasingly rare on the European mainland. While many
Dublin City Council’s City Arts Plan 2014-2018 has been launched. The plan, developed by Dublin City Council and designed by acclaimed Irish artist Robert Ballagh, illustrates how the arts play a major role in community development and neighborhood identity across Dublin. Dublin City Council has also announced that the plan is
Mannheim and Hanover can now officially call themselves “Cities of Music” and Heidelberg is a “City of Literature.” They were among 28 cities from 19 countries to become members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network on Monday, December 1. The 42-member network, founded in 2004, is designed to promote cultural exchange
There are few things people agree on in linguistically divided Belgium, but an effort to get Belgian potato fries recognized as global cultural heritage and put it on a par with Peking opera and the Argentinian tango may get unequivocal support. Belgian fries are traditionally sold, in a paper cone,
Diane Dodd, IGCAT’s Director, took part in an intermediary meeting of experts for the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes programme on 9 December in Luxembourg. The Cultural Routes Programme is supported by both the Council of Europe and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and seeks to empower Europe by preserving
Imagine walking down a sidewalk and seeing what appear to be hundreds of books flying out of the second-story window of a university building. Or wandering through a maze of 8,000 sunflowers. How about taking part in a 16th-century banquet in a European chateau of the same vintage? If you
How can artistic/cultural practices be embedded within the planning and development of more sustainable cities? This research project aims to advance knowledge about the relationships between culture and local sustainability through developing robust empirical evidence about artistic activities on local environmental/sustainability issues; policy/planning mechanisms supporting this activity and integrating culture into
The European Creative Industries Alliance (ECIA) is the platform on which these experts in the field of creative industries collaborate to set an agenda for innovation and growth. Experts from 12 European countries have joined forces to strengthen the future of the creative industries. They presented a 10 step action
During the Executive Bureau and the World Council meetings in Haikou, members of UCLG debated the key issues that will define the international global agenda for local and regional leaders in the coming year. Around 400 representatives of local and regional authorities and their partners from 49 countries came together
The Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (RLICC), a member of the Cultural Heritage Counts for Europe project, is organising a Thematic Week “Heritage Counts” from 3-6 February 2015 in Leuven, Belgium. The idea of immovable heritage as a “capital of irreplaceable cultural, social and economic value” was already present in
UK capital of culture events boosted tourism in Londonderry in 2013, according to new government figures. Overnight trips to the Derry and Strabane district council area were said to have increased by 50% on 2012, putting £47m into its economy. The data is based on the 11 new local government districts
The Latvian capital Riga’s term as a European Capital of Culture this year and the implemented program have been a success store for Riga and Latvia and that this experience should be put into good use in the long term, the organizers said. “Overall, the European Capital of Culture program
UNESCO announced that 28 cities from 19 countries joined its Creative Cities Network (CCN), which aims to foster cooperation among cities around the world that invest in creativity as a driver for sustainable developments. When cities join the CCN, they commit to collaboration and development on the promotion of creativity,
