“Seoul looks forward to even closer relationships with world cities following the Summit.”

Park, Won-soon
Mayor of Seoul

Over the past two decades, cultural policymakers have succeeded in making the case for the power of culture to drive economic development. But is this the ultimate goal? The 2017 Summit focused on ways of building a cultural civic city that aims foremost at the happiness of individual citizens.

This included discussions on culture and civic engagement, cultural participation and well-being, and maker culture and the fourth industrial revolution.

Around 100 participants took part in the summit, including delegates from WCCF member cities, cultural policy experts, and artists from Korea and abroad.

The summit coincided with the Asian Culture Forum, which was held from 30 to 31 October 2017 in conjunction with the Citizens’ Arts Week.

Key takeaways from the Seoul Summit:

• World cities today face many complex challenges from inequality, to congestion, to climate change. These challenges can only be met successfully with the active involvement of their citizens. But as these challenges grow in scale and complexity, Mayors and other city leaders need to truly harness the power of the people. The Seoul summit explored what it takes to build a cultural metropolis centred on citizen engagement, happiness and well-being.

• Culture is not something that is done to people, dictated and controlled by governments, corporations or mass media. Instead, people use technology and form associations which generate a grassroots culture, one that makes them happy, on their own terms.