Events

The summit is organised by the World Cities Culture Forum, which is made up of 35 world cities, who all recognise the impact and importance of culture and creativity and are committed to them being at the heart of public policy and city planning.

The 2017 summit, in Seoul, saw debate around a range of themes, particularly focusing on the impact technological, social and political changes are having on culture and the way people interact with each other.

The 2017 Seoul Summit also saw the launch of the new Leadership Exchange Programme, the first-ever exchange designed for cities to learn from one another and share ideas to solve common challenges across the globe. As Mayors around the world invest in cultural projects ranging from cultural facilities and arts programming, to affordable workspace, tourism and sustainability, the WCCF Leadership Exchange Programme is an opportunity to bring cities together. Through peer-to-peer learning they will share the best of these ideas and approaches from around the world.

The World Cities Culture Forum has been a hotbed of collaboration over the past six years. This has included London’s Creative Land Trust, which was inspired by San Francisco’s Community Arts Stabilization Trust, Toronto’s discussion with Sydney about waterfront development as the city transforms the area around Lake Ontario, and Edinburgh’s work with Montreal to create its own strategy to map creative workspaces.