New UNESCO Creative Cities

Bangkok and Sukhothai are among 66 new sites designated as UNESCO creative cities bringing the total number in Thailand to four. Bangkok has been designated as a ‘Creative City of Design.”Sukhothai becomes a ‘Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art’ alongside Chiang Mai. The fourth is Phuket which is ‘Creative City of Gastronomy.’

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network now totals 246 with cities on all continents and regions. They work together towards a common mission: placing creativity and the creative economy at the heart of their urban development plans to make cities safe, resilient, inclusive and sustainable, in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“All over the world, these cities, each in its own way, make culture the pillar, not an accessory, of their strategy,” said UNESCO Director-General Mrs. Audrey Azoulay in UNESCO’s announcement. “This favours political and social innovation and is particularly important for the young generation.”

Other Asian cities inducted this year are; Asahikawa (Japan), Cebu City (Philippines) and Hanoi (Vietnam) as Cities of Design; Hyderabad (India) and Yangzhou (China) as Cities of Gastronomy; Nanjing (China) and Wonju (South Korea) as Cities of Literature and Ambon (Indonesia), Mumbai (India) and Jinju (South Korea) as Cities of Music, Film and Folk Arts and Crafts respectively.