In the framework of the Culture and Sustainable Urban Development Initiative, launched by UNESCO to nourish the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UNESCO will convene an International Conference on Culture for Sustainable Cities, in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China, from 10 to 12 December 2015. Dates: Thursday, 10 December 2015 - 9:30am to Saturday, 12 December 2015 - 2:30pm in China, Hangzhou The conference is organized in cooperation with the Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government and with the support of the National Commission of the People’s Republic of China for UNESCO. OBJECTIVES ● Share experiences and propose strategic recommendations to strengthen culture-based sustainable urban development initiatives at the international, national, regional and local levels; ● Present and discuss the draft UNESCO Global Report on Culture and Sustainable Urban Development; ● Contribute to the reflection on a “New Urban Agenda” in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, thus providing strategic input to the Habitat-III Conference (Quito, Ecuador, 2016). PARTICIPANTS High-level representatives of Governments and International Organizations, mayors and city managers, internationally renowned experts, representatives of the private sector, Universities and non-governmental organizations from all regions of the world. THEMES ● The role of culture in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ● Cultural heritage for sustainable cities ● Creativity at the core of the urban economy ● Cultural institutions and events, leverages for urban regeneration ● The need for an integrated vision for urban management ● Multicultural Cities: the challenges of urban governance ● From Hangzhou to Quito and onwards: best practices for sustainable urban development ● Public spaces as a key to urban regeneration ● Managing Cultural Tourism as a driver for Cities ● New threats to urban heritage: strengthening resilience FORMAT The Conference will be organized in plenary sessions and parallel thematic working groups. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, French and Chinese. EXPECTED RESULTS ● The Hangzhou Outcomes: recommendations on maximizing the role of culture to achieve sustainable urban development and effective ways of integrating culture in urban planning and regeneration policies and urban creative economy and quality of life ● An international platform to share challenges, best practices and case studies on preservation and redevelopment of urban areas ● Strategic input to finalize the UNESCO Global Report on Culture and Sustainable Urban Development CONTACT culture-cities@unesco.org ● Ms Dorine Dubois, Coordinator of the Culture and Sustainable Urban Development Initiative ● Ms Alessandra Borchi, Focal Point for the International Conference on “Culture for Sustainable Cities” Download conference leaflet Image: West Lake, Hangzhou, China (© A. P. Hirama, 2012)