
Creative Metropoles Newsletter # 3
Our project “CREATIVE METROPOLES: Public Policies in Support of Creative Industries” commenced about two years ago, at the end of 2008. Several experience exchange events, study trips, creative blenders sharing creative industry practise in European capital and metropolitan cities have taken place since that. One of the core project activities - Research based on comparative analysis of urban policies needed to strengthen the development of the creative economy has been undertaken during the year 2009 in the 11 cities involved in the project. There is more about the latest events in our newsletter below.
Second Experience Second Experience Exchange event and Creative Blender in Stockholm In March Stockholm city was welcoming delegates from 11 European cities who met at Stockholm’s Culture House (Kulturhuset) for the second exchange of experience in the frame of Creative Metropoles project, an EU Interreg IV C project. Creative Blender as part of this Experience Exchange event gathered together twenty five creative companies – to envision the future, discuss the weak signals and to build the future together! Stockholm’s Experience Exchange event was devoted to the results of research carried out as one of the central activities for the EU funded project CREATIVE METROPOLES: Public Policies and Instruments in Support of Creative Industries. The research was based on analysis of the urban situation and creative industry practices and initiatives realized in 11 European metropoles – Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Birmingham, Helsinki, Oslo, Riga, Stockholm, Tallinn, Vilnius and Warsaw. Professor, Dr. Dieter Haselbach, member of the project Research team, commenting conclusions and findings of Research, underlined that there are so many different understandings of creative industries as well as very different experiences and approaches: “We cannot say which one is better or more progressive – it depends what cities are eager to achieve, which approaches they use and which industries they support. The main conclusion is – we all should learn from the experience of others”. These are only few of the best practices highlighted in Stockholm: “KreaNord” project presented by the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise was a good example of intergovernmental cooperation in Scandinavia focusing on how to link business and culture on regional level. The city of Tallinn presented its Business Incubator which opened in 2009 to support creative industry development by strengthening its capacity, providing business consultancy and premises. Participants were impressed by the results of “Design Reactor” in Berlin. Already six registered patents are the real outcome of brainstorms done by creatives from different profiles that met at “Design Reactor”! Broedplaatsen in Amsterdam considered to be the most remarkable creative industry project developed and supported by the city of Amsterdam - 1440 working spaces, 2500 places of employment created as a result of this initiative. “When we think about creative economies maybe we should be thinking of creative ecologies?” – Aberystwyth and Three Mills Island in UK as a great example of response to place and culture, regenerating brownfield territory and turning it into an astonishing and ecological residential and study area. More about the best creative industries practices from Stockholm, Tallinn, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Vilnius and Aberystwyth & Three Mills Island in UK could be found in presentations and calendar news from 25th of March. Next Experience exchange event is planned in Helsinki, March 2011. Gallery.
Creative Metropoles and Josephine Project agree on cooperation Riga City, as member and leading partner of Creative Metropoles project, and JOSEFIN (Joint SME Finance for Innovation), an Interreg IVB Project, have signed a letter of Intent for cooperation to enhance cooperation and information exchange between two Projects. The aim of collaboration is maximise the impact of activities carried out and to create synergies for joint fostering of innovation, JOSEFIN project consortium and CREATIVE METROPOLES project to supporting the transnational innovation creation process in the Baltic Sea Region. Letter of Intent was signed during the JOSEPHINE Partner meeting in Riga, on 13-14th April.
Creative metropoles network meets at Tallinn’s Creative Incubator About 60 international developers and entrepreneurs from the creative industry sectors this September met in Tallinn. The 3-day programme developed especially for the visitors, included project management team meeting, an international creative seminar, contact event for companies as well as a number of visits to the creative centres of Estonia capital city. The key event of the meeting was an international creative seminar “Advantages in Collaboration” organised in co-operation with the Tallinn Creative Incubator, held to exchange ideas on the topic if one can simultaneously be a creator and an entrepreneur and how to best take advantage of the possibilities of the creative field by using different forms of co-operation. More about jewellery festival “Brilliantly Birmingham”, presentation of design studio Tambakunda Innodesign Tank Barcelona, Estonian modern architecture and fashion trends you could find in our webpage and gallery.
Creative Metropoles hosting event at Brussels Open days "A motor for development of Economic Growth" was the symbolic name of special presentation hosted by the Creative Metropoles project during the Brussels Open days, October 4. Event, that took place in the Centre for Contemporary Arts Movement gathered more than 70 participants from EU institutions, parliaments and regional offices in Brussels and the eleven project member cities. Event opening was done by special guest - Mr.Sylvain Pasqua Head of Creative Industries of the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission. The central issue of event become the discussions on the Commission’s Green Paper of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI), to highlight the response from the Creative Metropoles network and present the results of research carried out as one of the central activities for the EU funded project Creative Metropoles. Two best practices from cooperation between governments, municipalities and creative industries from Berlin and Amsterdam were also presented. ELINA KUZJUKEVICA, project partner from Oslo Teknopol commenting: “Open Days is an inspiring event that gives regions a chance to tell about their achievements as well as learn what everyone else in Europe is up to. For CREATIVE METROPOLES this is an important arena to join the debate about the role of creative industries in the economic regeneration and prosperity of Europe that has in the past year intensified in Brussels and also highlight the role a city can play in supporting the sector”. Read more about OPEN DAYS and project presentation in our webpage. Gallery.
Study trips – best opportunity to gain experience! Some of the activities in the frame of Creative Metropoles Project are Study trips. Nothing could be more valuable then personal experience and touch! Based on the results of Research made about CI policy models and public support structures in support of creative industries in Europe, Project partners have a chance to gain experience of good practices implemented in other metropolitan cities by personal visits and meetings. Based on Research findings three “model” cities were classified: “City with a new face” where CI policy is cluster-based and state, regional and city levels are all involved in the of development of CI policy; “Culturally creative city” is a model where CI policy is culture oriented, where CI as a whole are the focus of CI policy and where the main levels involved in CI policy governance are the city and regional levels. “CI entrepreneurial city” -a model where CI policy is business oriented and the main actor in developing CI policy is the municipality – the city. Study trips are still in the process and we will keep you informed about the main findings of partners, impressions and conclusions!
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Creative Metropoles Newsletter # 3

Our project “CREATIVE METROPOLES: Public Policies in Support of Creative Industries” commenced about two years ago, at the end of 2008. Several experience exchange events, study trips, creative blenders sharing creative industry practise in European capital and metropolitan cities have taken place since that. One of the core project activities - Research based on comparative analysis of urban policies needed to strengthen the development of the creative economy has been undertaken during the year 2009 in the 11 cities involved in the project. There is more about the latest events in our newsletter below.

Second Experience Second Experience Exchange event and Creative Blender in Stockholm

In March Stockholm city was welcoming delegates from 11 European cities who met at Stockholm’s Culture House (Kulturhuset) for the second exchange of experience in the frame of Creative Metropoles project, an EU Interreg IV C project. Creative Blender as part of this Experience Exchange event gathered together twenty five creative companies – to envision the future, discuss the weak signals and to build the future together!

Stockholm’s Experience Exchange event was devoted to the results of research carried out as one of the central activities for the EU funded project CREATIVE METROPOLES: Public Policies and Instruments in Support of Creative Industries. The research was based on analysis of the urban situation and creative industry practices and initiatives realized in 11 European metropoles – Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Birmingham, Helsinki, Oslo, Riga, Stockholm, Tallinn, Vilnius and Warsaw. Professor, Dr. Dieter Haselbach, member of the project Research team, commenting conclusions and findings of Research, underlined that there are so many different understandings of creative industries as well as very different experiences and approaches: “We cannot say which one is better or more progressive – it depends what cities are eager to achieve, which approaches they use and which industries they support. The main conclusion is – we all should learn from the experience of others”.

These are only few of the best practices highlighted in Stockholm:

“KreaNord” project presented by the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise was a good example of intergovernmental cooperation in Scandinavia focusing on how to link business and culture on regional level.
The city of Tallinn presented its Business Incubator which opened in 2009 to support creative industry development by strengthening its capacity, providing business consultancy and premises.
Participants were impressed by the results of “Design Reactor” in Berlin. Already six registered patents are the real outcome of brainstorms done by creatives from different profiles that met at “Design Reactor”!
Broedplaatsen in Amsterdam considered to be the most remarkable creative industry project developed and supported by the city of Amsterdam - 1440 working spaces, 2500 places of employment created as a result of this initiative.
“When we think about creative economies maybe we should be thinking of creative ecologies?” – Aberystwyth and Three Mills Island in UK as a great example of response to place and culture, regenerating brownfield territory and turning it into an astonishing and ecological residential and study area.

More about the best creative industries practices from Stockholm, Tallinn, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Vilnius and Aberystwyth & Three Mills Island in UK could be found in presentations and calendar news from 25th of March. Next Experience exchange event is planned in Helsinki, March 2011.

Gallery.

Creative Metropoles and Josephine Project agree on cooperation

Riga City, as member and leading partner of Creative Metropoles project, and JOSEFIN (Joint SME Finance for Innovation), an Interreg IVB Project, have signed a letter of Intent for cooperation to enhance cooperation and information exchange between two Projects. The aim of collaboration is maximise the impact of activities carried out and to create synergies for joint fostering of innovation, JOSEFIN project consortium and CREATIVE METROPOLES project to supporting the transnational innovation creation process in the Baltic Sea Region. Letter of Intent was signed during the JOSEPHINE Partner meeting in Riga, on 13-14th April.

Creative metropoles network meets at Tallinn’s Creative Incubator

About 60 international developers and entrepreneurs from the creative industry sectors this September met in Tallinn. The 3-day programme developed especially for the visitors, included project management team meeting, an international creative seminar, contact event for companies as well as a number of visits to the creative centres of Estonia capital city.

The key event of the meeting was an international creative seminar “Advantages in Collaboration” organised in co-operation with the Tallinn Creative Incubator, held to exchange ideas on the topic if one can simultaneously be a creator and an entrepreneur and how to best take advantage of the possibilities of the creative field by using different forms of co-operation.
More about jewellery festival “Brilliantly Birmingham”, presentation of design studio Tambakunda Innodesign Tank Barcelona, Estonian modern architecture and fashion trends you could find in our webpage and gallery.

Creative Metropoles hosting event at Brussels Open days

"A motor for development of Economic Growth" was the symbolic name of special presentation hosted by the Creative Metropoles project during the Brussels Open days, October 4. Event, that took place in the Centre for Contemporary Arts Movement gathered more than 70 participants from EU institutions, parliaments and regional offices in Brussels and the eleven project member cities. Event opening was done by special guest - Mr.Sylvain Pasqua Head of Creative Industries of the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission. The central issue of event become the discussions on the Commission’s Green Paper of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI), to highlight the response from the Creative Metropoles network and present the results of research carried out as one of the central activities for the EU funded project Creative Metropoles. Two best practices from cooperation between governments, municipalities and creative industries from Berlin and Amsterdam were also presented.

ELINA KUZJUKEVICA, project partner from Oslo Teknopol commenting: “Open Days is an inspiring event that gives regions a chance to tell about their achievements as well as learn what everyone else in Europe is up to. For CREATIVE METROPOLES this is an important arena to join the debate about the role of creative industries in the economic regeneration and prosperity of Europe that has in the past year intensified in Brussels and also highlight the role a city can play in supporting the sector”.
Read more about OPEN DAYS and project presentation in our webpage.
Gallery.

Study trips – best opportunity to gain experience!

Some of the activities in the frame of Creative Metropoles Project are Study trips. Nothing could be more valuable then personal experience and touch! Based on the results of Research made about CI policy models and public support structures in support of creative industries in Europe, Project partners have a chance to gain experience of good practices implemented in other metropolitan cities by personal visits and meetings.

Based on Research findings three “model” cities were classified:

“City with a new face” where CI policy is cluster-based and state, regional and city levels are all involved in the of development of CI policy;
“Culturally creative city” is a model where CI policy is culture oriented, where CI as a whole are the focus of CI policy and where the main levels involved in CI policy governance are the city and regional levels.
“CI entrepreneurial city” -a model where CI policy is business oriented and the main actor in developing CI policy is the municipality – the city.

Study trips are still in the process and we will keep you informed about the main findings of partners, impressions and conclusions!