Kathmandu’s Creative Journey with UNESCO Creative Cities Network

Sustainable urban development requires culture and creativity to diversify the economy and enhance the citizen’s quality of life. To facilitate this, UNESCO initiated the Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in 2004 to integrate creativity into sustainable development. UCCN is a global network aiming to bolster cooperation between UNESCO-recognized creative cities that strategically prioritize the creative industry for  urban growth. This network recognizes seven forms of creativity: art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, and music. In a recent development, Kathmandu joined this network as a creative city of film in 2023. This article aims to capture the potential benefits of the UCCN global network for Kathmandu and explore actions needed to ensure the city can fully capitalize on these benefits. 

Creative cities of film foster innovative thinking and development by stimulating cross-city collaborations in cultural industries, placing creativity at the center of local development and engagement. The preamble of the UCCN introduced in 2004 emphasizes leveraging the network to enhance local governance. This brings a treasury of best practices, common challenges, and collective experience available to cities within the network. 

The UCCN brings forth a nuanced perspective in which creativity is prioritized over tourism to reap the long-term benefits of investing in the country’s creative ecosystem. Sharing projects and research planning strategies are valuable assets accessible to the cities within the network. 

Kathmandu as a Creative City of Film

Kathmandu joined the UCCN as a creative city of film in 2023, courtesy of its intangible and tangible cultural heritage, which helps it express cultural stories interwoven with the inhabitants’ daily lives. To inaugurate participation in the network, Kathmandu’s mayor, Balen Shah, attended the Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2024, at the invitation of the Mayor of Cannes. Cannes is also a UCCN member as a Creative City of Film and is renowned for its grand annual film festival, which showcased films to more than 35,000 visitors in 2024. Building on this initial engagement, Kathmandu is expected to join the Annual Conference in Barga from 1 to 5 July 2024, thereby further strengthening its ties within the network.

In order to be a part of the network, Kathmandu presented its cultural and creative assets and submitted its four-year action plan including specific projects initiatives, or policies, to be implemented in the eventuality of designation, during its application to join the UCCN. Subsequent to the designation, the Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu, Sunita Dongol, announced the establishment of a council to further the works on the Creative City of Film with an emphasis on research and policy to develop and expand the film sector. She also mentioned supporting the film industry’s management, marketing, and safeguarding.

Navigating the UCCN Landscape  

Leveraging the benefits of the UCCN weaves a subtle web that crafts larger positive implications for Nepal’s economy. It paves way for the cultivation of creative industries which may be crucial for the country to shift from an economy streamlined by tourism. As Nepal graduates to a developing country by November 2026, the UCCN can be crucial in developing an economy cushioned by integrating the creative industry into urban development and planning. This can help combat the gradual dilution of Kathmandu’s heritage fitted for tourist needs. Becoming a UCCN member benefits the city through the exchange of knowledge of best practices and experiences. Furthermore, inclusion in the UCCN welcomes international support from the creative cities network into the development of policies and planning, realizing the untapped potential of the creative industry.

However, for Kathmandu’s recognition as a creative city of film to be a success, it requires rigorous efforts from national policymakers. These efforts need to transcend the general assumption of a creative city as a prize and focus on evidence-based inventive responses. The success of Creative City and its film industry relies on tailored creative vision and supporting strategies. Additionally, efforts are required by UNESCO for the good governance of the creative city network by analyzing the successes and failures. 

Global cities, including Kathmandu, can greatly benefit from its association with UCCN. Branding through UNESCO provides recognition, generating a greater quantity of tourists and investors. For this, however, a well-designed branding strategy is necessary for the city. A city’s brand is dependent on the portrayal of its present and future to its local and global communities, including potential investors, residents, and tourists. Further, branding should include historical values, geographical values, and changing socio-economic challenges. Including the creative industry in the branding efforts aids the preservation of local culture and the protection of Kathmandu’s ingenuity. 

Creating endogenous distinctive qualities and ensuring quality urban design principles are also essential to building an enhanced creative city. Endogenous distinctiveness focuses on the potential of the city including its tangible and intangible heritage, urban morphology and landscape, and socio-culture. Quality urban planning can be achieved through thorough planning and development, and quality life for people. Creative cities encapsulate the creativity industry to preserve the city culture. The dubbing of Kathmandu as a creative city helps re-invent obsolete spaces in large urban spaces. Rich with architectural marvels, this can bolster dying skill-based occupations which have helped to contribute to the city’s aesthetics. Implementation of such measures at a larger scale can potentially help uplift skill-based industries. 

Lessons from Other Creative Cities

As a novel city integrating the creative industry, Kathmandu can learn from the experiences of UCCN veterans such as Croatia, Turkey, Barcelona and Glasgow. Kathmandu can learn much from the bottom-up growth approach implemented in creative cities in Croatia. This approach is organized in three stages: mapping existing creative services, developing action plans to manage existing services to encourage local development, and developing city branding and implementation strategy. On the other hand, a study on a film city in Turkey suggests building a strong film industry to produce creativity through investing in local innovative talent in education and training. Thus, although Kathmandu’s current creativity is attributed to its tangible and intangible cultural heritage, it has the potential to source creativity from technological innovations.

Further, Barcelona’s success in boosting cultural spending and global visibility, along with Glasgow’s focus on both social integration and creative sector growth, also offers valuable insights for Kathmandu’s Creative City of Films initiative. Following Barcelona’s lead in proactive urban planning and increased cultural investment could enhance Kathmandu’s international appeal and foster collaborations on a global scale. Similarly, Glasgow’s approach highlights the importance of addressing social disparities while nurturing creative industries, guiding Kathmandu in balancing cultural advancement with societal well-being. 

While these cities provide excellent examples, each belongs to a developed nation. Nepal may not have the same resources available to these cities. Therefore, it is important to tailor the policies of the Creative City initiative to fit Kathmandu’s specific context.

EMBRACING KATHMANDU’S CREATIVE FUTURE 

Kathmandu’s designation as a Creative City of Film within the UCCN represents a significant step toward integrating culture and creativity into sustainable urban development. This initiative not only highlights the city’s rich cultural heritage but also emphasizes the potential for economic diversification and urban rejuvenation through creative industries. By leveraging the UCCN’s global platform, Kathmandu can enhance its international recognition, attract tourism and investment, and share best practices with other member cities. However, the success of this endeavor relies on meticulous planning, robust branding strategies, and the active involvement of local policymakers and stakeholders. Embracing lessons from other creative cities and fostering innovation beyond traditional cultural products can help Kathmandu realize its full potential, ensuring that its cultural and creative sectors become key drivers of sustainable urban development and economic growth.