A decade after UNESCO recognized Tel Aviv as a World Cultural Heritage site…

UNESCO Announces Tel Aviv a Creative City

Tel Aviv has previously received official recognition from UNESCO as a world heritage site for its extraordinary and beautiful collection of more than 4000 original white Bauhaus buildings scattered throughout the city. Today, the White City is to enjoy an additional title of Creative City as Tel Aviv is now the newest member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the category of Media Arts.

UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization established the Creative Cities Network in order to encourage cooperation between international cities as a means to promote local creative industries, harnessing entrepreneurship and creativity to strengthen the local economy and social development. This evening, Tel Aviv will join 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 include Dublin (Literature), Liverpool (Music), Sydney (Film) and Berlin (Design).

Link to UNESCO’s website: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/creativity/creative-cities-network/

Tel Aviv will become a member of the Creative Cities Network recognized in the field of Media Arts. Cities in this area are characterized by the existence of creative industries and cultural activity driven by the use of digital technology and the successful implementation of media arts for the benefit of improving urban life. This is measured by the accessibility of cultural events and products through digital technology and the existence of electronic art forms and their integration into the life of civil society and their ability to strengthening local working studios and media arts projects.

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

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, and continue the Municipalities activities with the wide range of communities living in the city, academia, the business sector, industry, cultural institutions and more. Alongside local activities, an important aspect of the Network is creating international partnerships between the cities. Partnerships based on cooperative learning and the exchange of knowledge, enabling each partner to harness the creativity in their local economy and use it for social development. In order to retain the title, Tel Aviv will present annually to the organization and demonstrate the past-years cooperative initiatives with officials in the city and internationally.

Commenting on the achievement, the Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ron Huldai said:

“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 UNESCO 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”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxvevYZ2suw Urban Symphony featuring the Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo

http://youtu.be/-n_BgwdovOY Comical clip about Tel Aviv with quotes from Barack Obama

photos by Kfir Bolotin