Attendees are cordially invited to the Cities Ahead Academy by the Mayor
In the heart of Essen, a city renowned for its rich design history and future, the Cities Ahead Academy took place on July 3rd, 2025, at the community hall of KreativKathedrale TRUDI. This two-day event, hosted by Mayor Thomas Kufen, was a significant step towards Essen's application to become a UNESCO Creative City of Design in 2027.
The academy was led by renowned experts in cultural urban development, though their identities remained undisclosed. The workshops, held at the former St. Gertrude's Church now home to the University of Fine Arts, focused on various topics such as "Cities as creative ecosystems," "Development of cultural strategies," and "International networks."
The event aimed to provide practical knowledge on international cultural urban development, with the hope that the attendees would bring inspiring, insightful, and creative ideas. The workshops were designed to give cities further impulses from the cultural and creative industries.
Essen, a city that boasts attractions like the Golden Madonna, ceramics workshop on Margarethenhöhe, and the UNESCO World Heritage site Zollverein, as well as the Museum Folkwang and Red Dot Design Museum, is a fitting location for such an event. The Folkwang University of the Arts and the University of Fine Arts are outstanding educational institutions in the field of design in Essen.
The Cities Ahead program, supported by the Goethe-Institut, is part of the team working on Essen's application to become a UNESCO Creative City of Design. The programme aims to enhance the international visibility and cultural appeal of cultural cities in Europe.
Cities that are part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the "Design" category, relevant for Essen's planned application in 2027, include Valencia (Spain), Mexico City (the first in North and South America), and the metropolitan region around San Diego-Tijuana. These cities have been recognised for integrating design strategically in urban and social development.
However, no new information about Essen's application to become a UNESCO Creative City of Design was provided during the Cities Ahead Academy. Despite this, the event marked an important milestone in Essen's journey towards becoming a global hub for design and creativity.
