Culture, creativity and international governance. The new urban agenda

Abstract

The article explores the relationship between culture and creativity in the context of international governance. Starting from the concept of a creative city, extended worldwide thanks to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, first, a review of the concept is made, and then study aspects related to the treatment given by various international organizations to the creativity and culture, focusing on the role of UNESCO. Finally, in order to identify elements of culture and creativity present in the text of the New Urban Agenda (NAU), an analysis of its content is carried out. The article ends with a summary of how international organizations understand the relationship established between culture and creativity with urban development; also, the question arises about how to implement the proposals of the NAU since, on the one hand, it has an executive nature on the local level, but, on the other, it is signed by representatives of national governments that in many cases do not have competences in this issue. The cities, although at the centre of the agenda, are not perceived as subjects but as objects of the new urban agenda.