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Cities Ahead

The Cities Ahead programme supports ambitious European cultural and creative cities in attaining more international visibility and cultural appeal. At a two-day academy, renowned experts impart practical knowledge on international cultural urban development. Through a worldwide open call, cities receive further stimuli from the cultural and creative industries.

European cities can now apply to participate in Cities Ahead in 2025:

Application form

 

Info sheet(PDF, 361 KB)

Cities Ahead is a good opportunity for cities to reflect on what resources they have.
Charles Landry

Charles-Landry © Charles-Landry

Programme

The programme consists of two phases:
  • The Cities Ahead Academy consists of expert input and workshops to train local administrations and cultural actors in (international) cultural urban development
  • The two-day Cities Ahead Academy is organised locally in the participating city. The programme consists of three freely selectable modules (see below)
  • The Academy is open to employees from cultural administration, economic development, urban planning, offices for international relations, and tourism offices as well as employees of local cultural institutions
     
  • The optional Cities Ahead Open Call is a worldwide open call to promote innovative and participatory creative projects in the participating cities
  • The Cities Ahead Open Call offers the opportunity to involve artists and creatives as well as the local population in the urban development process

Modules

  • Building Creative City Ecosystems
    Establishing cities as cultural centres and developing creative districts
  • Leveraging Culture for Sustainability
    Utilising the potential of culture for sustainability-oriented urban development
  • Crafting Cultural Strategies
    Strategic planning in cities and regions
  • Joining International Networks
    Harnessing international initiatives for urban development
  • Working with Cultural Data
    Collecting data and using it for urban development
  • Enabling Cultural Participation
    Utilising citizen participation and involving communities in urban development

Apply Now for 2025!

 

Application deadline

Applications are now being accepted. The deadline for submissions is 30 September 2024 at 23:59 CET. You will receive feedback on your application by 31 October 2024 at the latest.

FAQ

Participating cities in 2024

Participating cities in 2023

Contact

Goethe-Institut e.V. | Cities Ahead
citiesahead@goethe.de

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