Poland visit highlighted Dunedin as creative city

By Tim Miller, Otago Daily Times | Posted:

Dunedin was certainly taken notice of during a world creative cities event in Poland earlier this month, the mayor says.

Dave Cull and Dunedin City Council City of Literature director Nicky Page represented the city at the Unesco Creative Cities Network annual meeting.

More than 350 delegates from 160 cities attended the event, held in Krakow and Katowice.

It was the first time Mr Cull had visited Poland in an official capacity and the trip gave him a chance to promote Dunedin and to learn from other creative cities.

``Each time I attend one of these Unesco creative cities meetings I come back impressed by the degree to which and the ways they are able to leverage their creative sectors.''

The trip also gave him a chance to met and speak to mayors including Frank Ross, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, one of Dunedin's sister cities.

``It us a chance to see how other cities are using their creative sectors not just to boost their cultural relevance but tackle social and economic issues,'' he said.

Katowice, was a good example of a city which had used its cultural sector to improve itself, Mr Cull said.

``It was an industrial city closely linked to the coal industry which then went into years of decline but it is reinventing itself as a city of music and working with the creative sector to reform and lift itself up.''

Mr Cull was also invited to speak at three sessions during the week.

``It would be fair to say we certainly flew Dunedin's flag strongly during the week as we also do at these type of events.''