Cities Ahead, the Goethe-Institut's programme for creative cities, is currently looking for participating cities for 2025.
By Creatives Unite Community
July 31, 2024
The Cities Ahead programme, Goethe-Institut's initiative, supports ambitious European cultural and creative cities in attaining more international visibility and cultural appeal. At a two-day academy, renowned experts impart practical knowledge on international cultural urban development. Through a worldwide open call, cities receive further stimuli from the cultural and creative industries.
Representatives of local municipalities can apply to participate in Cities Ahead on behalf of their city.
The programme consists of two phases:
The two-day Cities Ahead Academy that consists of expert input and workshops to train local administrations and cultural actors in (international) cultural urban development. The programme is organised locally in the participating city and consists of three freely selectable modules. The Academy is open to employees from cultural administration, economic development, urban planning, offices for international relations, and tourism offices as well as employees of local cultural institutions
The optional Cities Ahead Open Call which is a worldwide open call to promote innovative and participatory creative projects in the participating cities. The Cities Ahead Open Call offers the opportunity to involve artists and creatives as well as the local population in the urban development process.
The Cities Ahead Academy consists of the following modules:
Building Creative City Ecosystems: Establishing cities as cultural centres and developing creative districts Leveraging Culture for Sustainability: Utilising the potential of culture for sustainability-oriented urban development Crafting Cultural Strategies: Strategic planning in cities and regions Joining International Networks: Harnessing international initiatives for urban development Working with Cultural Data: Collecting data and using it for urban development Enabling Cultural Participation: Utilising citizen participation and involving communities in urban development
The deadline for submissions is 30 September 2024 at 23:59 CET.
