Tel Aviv joins other arts-oriented international epicenters with designation as a “Creative City” by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

UNESCO established the Creative Cities Network to encourage cooperation between international cities as a way to promote local creative industries, entrepreneurship and creativity to strengthen the local economy and social development. Tel Aviv takes its place among 41 other cities, each recognized in one of seven categories: Literature, Film, Music, Craft and Folk Art, Design, Media Arts and Gastronomy.

Other notable members of the the Creative Cities Network include Dublin (Literature), Liverpool (Music), Sydney (Film) and Berlin (Design).

Tel Aviv was designated in the field of Media Arts. Cities in this category are home to creative industries and cultural activity that use digital technology to improve urban life. This is measured by the accessibility of cultural events and digital technology products and the proliferation of electronic art forms.

The city’s flourishing high-tech scene and enterprises, especially in the media arts field, earned Tel Aviv its place in the Creative Cities Network. Currently there are more than 700 early stage start-ups in Tel Aviv, a city with just over 400,000 residents. With the second highest number of start-ups of any city, Tel Aviv has the highest number of start-ups per capita in the world.

A decade ago, UNESCO recognized Tel Aviv as a world heritage site for its extraordinary and beautiful collection of more than 4,000 original white Bauhaus buildings, known as the White City.

Tel Aviv: Israel’s Creative Capital

The acceptance of Tel Aviv into the Creative Cities Network is a great honor for the city and will only strengthen the development of activities, projects and initiatives in the field of media arts and culture, a city spokesperson announced. The city further looks forward to increased international collaboration, she added.

In order to retain the title, Tel Aviv will present an annual update to UNESCO, demonstrating the past year’s cooperative initiatives with officials in the city and internationally.

Commenting on the achievement, the mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ron Huldai commented:

“Ten years ago, UNESCO declared the White City of Tel Aviv as a world heritage site. The world recognized the importance of the city’s architectural past. Starting from today, Tel Aviv’s entrance to UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network reflects the world’s recognition of the city’s contribution to the present and the future – recognition of Tel Aviv as a vibrant center of cultural creation and breakthrough technology, the creative industries and the focus of the original visionary scene of digital innovation and initiatives.”

Author: United with Israel Staff

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