Bangkok Creative City Dialogue: A Powerful Cooperation Between 10 Creative Cities Across 8 Countries

29/05/2023

The Creative Economy Agency (Public Organization) or CEA, as a representing entity of UCCN – Bangkok City of Design under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in collaboration with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), organized the Bangkok Creative City Dialogue under the theme “Becoming and Creating Impact as a Creative City.”

This gathering brought UCCN members from 10 cities in eight Asian and European countries, namely (1) Asahikawa City of Design, Japan; (2) Bandung City of Design, Indonesia; (3) Bangkok City of Design, Thailand; (4) Kuching City of Gastronomy, Malaysia; (5) Nagoya City of Design, Japan; (6) Perth City of Crafts and Folk Art, United Kingdom; (7) Phetchaburi City of Gastronomy, Thailand; (8) Seoul City of Design, South Korea; (9) Singapore City of Design; and (10) Wuhan City of Design, China.

Discussions were held to share ideas and visions that would help drive each of the creative cities forward including the aspects of culture that would play a key role in international business and future economic expansion.

CEA as the key driver of creative cities in Thailand

In the opening speech by Chakrit Pichyangkul, Executive Director of CEA, he gave a brief overview of CEA mission as the key entity working to drive the country’s creative economy.

According to Chakrit, the CEA acts as a Creative Workforce that can resonate with a powerful and positive impact at both domestic and international level. In order to achieve CEA mission, it is essential to integrate three important elements which are policy to promote revenue, facilitation in terms of resources and areas that encourage creativity and establish robust connection between creativity and business.

All these three elements will help attract more of those who work in the area of creativity and help promote products at international level, leading to sustainable and innovative development that has become one of the issues of global concern.

People’s happiness through “Forest of Design” – Asahikawa City of Design, Japan

Ryoju Hamada, the first representative from Asahikawa prefecture, presented ideas under the topic “Diverse Ways to Realize Design City: The Challenge from Northern Hokkaido.”

Asahikawa has been named UCCN – Asahikawa City of Design in 2019. Elements of designs have been used to encourage various aspects of development under the concept “Forest of Design” which was concluded following numerous researches and discussions. It is believed that design can be at the heart of city development similar to a large tree that acts as a center of growth supporting the surrounding plants to flourish alongside. The first project “History Tree” reflects the heart and soul of pioneering and dynamic changes that have occurred in the city through time.

However, Mr. Hamada said as there was a growing concern around the world today on Carbon Neutral City and Smart City as well as City Transformation, Asahikawa therefore embraced these aspects into the development plan for Asahikawa. Plans are also in place to expand this concept to Regional Tree by working closely with the neighboring cities and increasing the workforce to become Asahikawa regional. The Education Tree concept has been initiated to encourage the public to use the area for educational and learning purposes. The implementation of the concept aims to expand and correspond to the UN mission of sustainable development.

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