Creativity Now: A New Era for Imaginative and Inclusive City-making
The Covid-19 crisis has been a destructive force in how we live, work and play. For cities, it is a game-changer, influencing everything from transport systems to education, social care to retail. Covid-19 has also been an accelerator – of digitalisation, radical types of collaborative practice, and a new cross-sector and interdisciplinary reality where we realise the absolute interdependence of every organ of city-making. This raises the stakes for cities to be more imaginative and creative, especially now as we are moving from rescue to re-frame to the re-imagination of the city. This puts creativity centre stage, for it is through engagement with who we are, what we value and what we aspire toward, that we will unlock a better future.
This seminar will explore how cities are looking to apply creative practice to enhance resilience, secure inclusive economic development, and drive innovation. It will focus on smaller cities such as Vila Real – cities which may yet rise again as talent looks to leave larger urban centres. It will set out some emergent ideas for a creative city manifesto for Vila Real and other smaller cities, shaping ideas for a brave and radical value proposition for cities which is fired by their creative talent.