---
title: Equity & Inclusion
type: taxonomy_archive
taxonomy: post_tag
slug: equity-inclusion
term_id: 370
permalink: "https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/tag/equity-inclusion/"
post_count: 53
---

# Equity & Inclusion

Posts in this archive: 53

- [More Regional Trends](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/report/regional-cultural-policy-trends.md) — From Indigenous knowledge in Australasia to digital innovation in East Asia, cities are using culture to shape more inclusive, sustainable, and creative futures. Drawing on recent survey data and case study submissions from our cities, this section offers a snapshot of emerging cultural policy trends across regions.  While each region has its own distinctive priorities, common themes such as access to space, climate action, youth engagement, and equity, highlight the extent to which all major cities share similar challenges in defining tomorrow’s cultural landscape.
- [Public Realm](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/report/inclusion-representation-public-realm.md) — Cities worldwide are reshaping monuments, murals and civic spaces to reflect diverse communities, promote cultural inclusion and decolonise public art
- [Ernesto Ottone, Assistant Director General for Culture, UNESCO](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/report/ernesto-ottone-world-cities-culture-report.md) — Foreword from Ernesto Ottone, Assistant Director General for Culture at UNESCO, to the World Cities Culture Report: 5th Edition
- [Inclusive public art empowering unhoused creatives in Austin ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/art-for-all-austin-public-art-initiative-2.md) — Art for All is a public art initiative in Austin led by Raasin in the Sun and the City of Austin, offering paid creative opportunities to unhoused individuals. By transforming public spaces with community-driven murals, the programme promotes an inclusive culture and supports access to social services. Through mentorship, workshops, and storytelling, it fosters connection, skill-building, and financial stability – making public art more accessible for all while enriching Austin’s public realm strategy.
- [Inclusive Public Art: How Helsinki’s Biennales are making art accessible in the city and its islands ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/helsinki-biennial.md) — Since 2021, Helsinki Biennial has been held all around the city and its 300 islands. This cultural festival by the City of Helsinki embodies their ambitious cultural vision to develop the city’s art scene through inclusive public art; and combine art with the beauty of Helsinki’s natural spaces and islands. 2025 will mark the Helsinki Biennial’s third edition, attracting new visitors to the city and boosting the local economy.
- [Creative Strategists: Integrating artist residencies into Los Angeles County governance and initiatives](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/los-angeles-creative-strategist-programme.md) — Los Angeles County's Creative Strategist Programme embeds artists within government departments to address civic challenges through creative strategies. Since 2018, 12 artists have collaborated with various departments, enhancing public engagement, cultural participation, and equity. Their work demonstrates the value of integrating arts into governance, fostering innovation, and promoting inclusive policies that reflect the diverse communities of Los Angeles County.
- [Celebrating 25 years of aboriginal arts funding in Melbourne ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/melbourne-aboriginal-arts-grants.md) — For 25 years, Melbourne’s Aboriginal Arts Grants have supported First Nations artists through flexible, culturally responsive funding. Led by Aboriginal creatives and grounded in long-term investment, the programme has transformed the city's cultural sector and launched national careers. Despite challenges, it remains a model of equity in local cultural policy, celebrating Aboriginal voices and advancing self-determination through creative expression.
- [Supporting Melbourne’s d/Deaf and Disabled artists through The Warehouse Residency ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/warehouse-residency-for-deaf-and-disabled-artists.md) — The Warehouse Residency is City of Melbourne’s flagship programme for d/Deaf and Disabled artists, offering access-led support, funding, and leadership opportunities. Designed with artists and grounded in disability justice, it supports bold, interdisciplinary work while challenging structural barriers in the arts. Since 2021, the programme has supported 40+ creatives, with plans to expand into producing, digital formats, and enhanced access budgets through 2028.
- [Participatory Murals: A ‘Name in Every Neighbourhood’ of Milan ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/milan-a-name-in-every-neighbourhood.md)
- [Chinatown: How Montréal is safeguarding this historic cultural district ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/montreal-chinatown-heritage-preservation.md) — Like many Chinatowns in cities, Montreal’s Chinatown – the only French-speaking Chinatown in the Americas – faces pressures from gentrification and redevelopment. Since 2019, the City of Montreal has implemented a coordinated strategy to preserve the neighbourhood’s culture and reflect a broader North American trend of protecting ethnic enclaves from displacement through inclusive urban planning and community-led preservation.
- [A Place Becoming: Anchoring community amid urban change in Oslo](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/oslo-mortensrud-anchoring-communities-with-art-amid-urban-change.md) — As Oslo grows rapidly, the city’s public art strategy ensures new developments reflect the identity and voices of existing communities.  In Mortensrud, for instance, artists collaborated with residents to embed local histories into redevelopment.  Projects such as Last Station Mortensrud and Together We Can Move Mountains use photography, performance, and digital art to honour everyday life and lost landmarks. The approach fosters dialogue, preserves memory, and places cultural heritage at the centre of urban change.
- [Celebrating 20 years of São Paulo’s VAI programme ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/sao-paulo-vai-programme-for-cultural-inclusion.md) — 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Programa para a Valorização de Iniciativas Culturais (Valuation of Cultural Initiatives) (VAI) in São Paulo, one of Brazil’s most influential municipal cultural policies. Created in 2005, the VAI Programme has funded over 3,200 cultural projects by low-income youth and collectives in peripheral areas of the city – democratising access to funding, stimulating local cultural activity, and addressing structural inequalities in São Paulo’s cultural landscape.
- [A New Era for Vienna’s City Museum](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/wien-museum-vienna.md) — Reopened in 2023 after a major city-funded renovation, the Wien Museum blends architectural preservation with bold expansion. A ‘floating’ concrete cube adds two new floors of exhibition space, while geothermal systems, solar panels, and inclusive design signal a commitment to sustainability and access. Operated by the Museums of the City of Vienna, the project drew on over a decade of public dialogue. Since reopening, the museum has become one of Vienna’s most popular cultural destinations, also earning the Austrian Eco-Label for sustainability
- [Culture Summer Vienna: Making summer culture accessible to all in Vienna ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/vienna-kultursommer-wien.md) — Kultursommer Wien (‘Culture Summer Vienna’) is a city-funded open-air festival offering free, high-quality performances across Vienna’s neighbourhoods. With a EUR 4 million annual budget, it supports fair pay for artists and promotes inclusion through sign language interpreters, induction loops, and decentralised venues—particularly in outer districts. Attracting over 86,000 visitors in 2024, the festival fosters community connection and cultural diversity, becoming a summer staple that brings the city’s creative spirit into public space.
- [Culture for All: Expanding access to culture in Zürich](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/transformation-grants-for-cultural-participation.md) — Launched in 2024, Zürich’s Transformation Grants for Cultural Participation support cultural institutions in removing barriers to access and embedding diversity in their structures. Funded jointly by the City and Canton, the CHF 5 million programme offers phased support, from analysis to implementation, and requires partnerships with civil society organisations to ensure authentic inclusion. By focusing on organisational change rather than artistic output, the initiative aims to create long-term, sustainable cultural spaces that reflect and serve Zürich’s diverse population.
- [Artist Feedback: Zürich's Try-Out festival where artists can get feedback on work in progress ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/zurich-theater-am-hechtplatz.md) — Launched in 2023 by Theater am Hechtplatz, Hecht Jetzt is Zürich’s annual try-out festival for emerging Swiss theatre artists. Held over 3–4 days each summer, it gives artists one rehearsal, one performance, and a moderated feedback session with a diverse audience, followed by informal exchange and networking. Participants are paid, and many report valuable insights and new bookings as a result. The festival offers an honest, inclusive space for experimentation and artistic development.
- [Creative Space: How Austin’s Cultural Trust has developed affordable art spaces ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/rally-austin-cultural-trust-for-affordable-art-space-2.md) — Launched in 2020, Rally Austin (formerly AEDC) protects Austin’s cultural identity by creating affordable cultural spaces through public real estate tools. Its Cultural Trust supports venues in key districts, including The Hole in the Wall and The Broken Spoke. With USD 152 million in active projects, Rally Austin is pioneering a model of artist-led stewardship, ensuring long-term affordability and sustainability for the city’s creative infrastructure.
- [Cultural District Policy: Driving Austin’s equitable urban development ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/cultural-district-policy.md) — The City of Austin’s Economic and Cultural District Framework Policy was developed in 2024 to formalise and support the sustainability of cultural districts across the city. Focused on preserving cultural identity while fostering economic vitality, the policy provides a structured approach for designating and resourcing cultural and economic districts. It aligns with Austin’s broader cultural policy goals—emphasising equity, authenticity, and community engagement in place-based development.
- [One Dublin, One Book brings the city together through literature](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/one-dublin-one-book-2.md) — Every April since 2005, Dublin residents have been encouraged to read the same book either written by a Dubliner or connected with the capital city, through the One Dublin, One Book campaign. To mark the 20th year of this mass cultural participation event, Dublin City Council and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature commissioned an anthology of 22 poets and writers to capture Dublin in the first quarter of the century.
- [Art for All: Amateurs and established artists participate in annual Brussels Carte de Visite art exhibition  ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/brussels-carte-de-visite-artopenkunst-art-exhibition-2.md) — Launched in 2014, Brussels' collaborative, free and participatory art exhibition Carte de Visite | ArtOpenkunst has been showcasing hundreds of amateur and established artists every year. It has made art creation, exhibition and appreciation accessible to all. Since 2020, artists have competed for the Prix de la CENTRALE to exhibit their work together at CENTRALE, one of Brussels’ most important venues for international and local contemporary art.
- [Honouring the Dead: Community-led remembrance in the heart of Brussels  ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/dia-de-muertos-in-brussels-cultural-participation-2.md) — Día de Muertos in Marolles is a community-driven festival in Brussels that blends Mexican tradition with local creativity to honour the dead through inclusive public rituals. Supported by the City of Brussels, it features workshops, concerts, and a large public altar, fostering cultural participation and social cohesion. The event exemplifies how cultural infrastructure can support access for all and strengthen collective memory through vibrant, community-led cultural exchange.
- [Arts Councils: How New York expanded cultural equity by boosting funding to borough-based arts programming ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/funding-new-york-city-arts-councils.md) — To address cultural inequities and affordability challenges, NYC's Department of Cultural Affairs increased funding for local arts councils through the Greater New York Arts Development Fund. By distributing $3.4 million to local arts councils in 2024, the fund has supported over 650 artists and arts organizations across the five boroughs. This investment expands access to the arts in underserved communities and reinforces NYC’s identity as a hub of inclusive cultural creation.
- [CULTURAL OLYMPIAD - A TALE OF TWO CITIES](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/event/cultural-olympiad-a-tale-of-two-cities.md) — In this webinar, cultural leaders involved in organising cultural olympiads at the previous Olympics in London, Tokyo and Sydney share their learnings with future hosts – Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028.
- [How the world's oldest transport network is changing to embrace cultural diversity in London](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/how-the-worlds-oldest-transport-network-is-changing-to-embrace-cultural-diversity.md) — London has updated its famous transport map to reflect it's rich cultural diversity after engaging with communities.
- [How São Paulo’s carnival is boosting its creative economy](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/how-sao-paulos-carnival-is-boosting-its-creative-economy.md) — Historically, São Paulo’s identity has centred on the image of a cosmopolitan city, characterized by industry, speed, work and progress. It is still Brazil’s most vibrant financial centre, and is among the world’s most populous cities, with numerous cultural institutions and a rich architectural tradition. But the Secretariat of Culture has been leading a cultural revolution.
- [World Cities Culture Trends 2024](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/publication/world-cities-culture-trends-2024.md) — The World Cities Culture Trends 2024 Report highlights ten emerging trends in global cultural policy, showcasing how cities are using cultural solutions to tackle urban challenges.
- [Policies, prosperity and beyond: how Shenzhen is embedding culture into development planning](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/policies-for-the-development-of-cultural-industries.md) — In order to promote the high-quality
development of the creative industries, Shenzhen City and its districts have introduced a series of development plans and policies, with increasing policy funds.
- [Making space for arts and culture: Vancouver leads the way in arts ownership](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/expand-planning-tools-reduce-regulatory-barriers.md) — The purpose of the Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) policies is to prioritise the development of arts and culture spaces in city-building. The primary goal is to create more opportunities for community ownership, fostering a vibrant arts and culture scene within the city.
- [Redefining Rio's cultural landscape: Zonas de Cultura continues its ambitious plans to decentralise culture](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/zonas-de-cultura.md) — The Zonas de Cultura (ZC) program, launched in 2021, was born out of the need to decentralise cultural resources in the post-pandemic environment. It aims to recognise and amplify the impact of peripheral artists by distributing cultural funding more widely. The core purpose is to shift the city's cultural investments towards specific neighborhoods, creating new cultural hubs throughout Rio.
- [Resilience rewarded: Melbourne's 'Rising Festival' shines in 2022](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/rising-festival.md) — In 2022, RISING saw its first full iteration as a nearly two-week-long festival presented across and transforming neighborhoods in the city, including Flinders Street Station, Birrarung, Chinatown, and The Wilds. The festival, presented in June, featured 225 events with 801 local and international artists who took the city as their canvas, transforming its streets, gardens, carparks, waterways, and rooftops in an explosion of culture aimed squarely at the heart of Melbourne's night-time scene.
- [From vandalism to legitimate art: Lisbon's inspiring transformation](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/lisbon-urban-art-gallery.md) — Urban Art Gallery aims to continue to expand street art’s reach throughout the city, giving street artists more spaces to work.
- [Why children's culture is being integrated with educational and social services in Helsinki's cultural development](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/helsinki-art-and-culture-in-helsinki-2030.md) — In August 2020, the City of Helsinki published its vision for art and culture – Art and Culture in Helsinki 2030.
- [Protecting the arts eco-system: how New York supported 3,000 artists during the pandemic](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/new-york-city-artists-corps.md)
- [Funding the future: 'FoRTE' supports young creative talent in Paris](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/paris-regional-fund-for-emerging-talent.md) — The Regional Fund for Emerging Talent (FoRTE) aims to support artists and creators as they develop their professional careers. Young creative talent is essential for the cultural and economic success of Paris and the Île-de-France region, but they often struggle.
- [Culture without boundaries: 'Virada Cultural' extends to the fringes of São Paulo](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/sao-paulo-virada-cultural.md) — The Covid-19 pandemic amplified the inequity of access to cultural provision, with the closure of venues, reduced mobility around the city, and unequal access to digital platforms. The municipality saw the return of major festivals in-person in 2022 as an opportunity to drive cultural engagement and widen access to culture in the city.
- [One Tokyo, many voices: empowering equality and diversity in culture](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/tokyo-creative-well-being-project.md) — Tokyo has a rich cultural offer, but this has not always been easy to access for some diverse, disabled and otherwise marginalised inhabitants of the city. Therefore since 2021, the Creative Well-being Tokyo project has worked towards embedding better inclusion strategies at its cultural institutions.
- [Public art with purpose: Toronto's art strategy takes inclusivity to the streets](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/toronto-public-art-strategy.md) — Toronto has more than 1,500 works of public art, which have been integral to community development, civic engagement, and urban design. Yet, despite the strengths of the collection, issues exist with gaps in representation, geographic distribution of the works, and its accessibility to the public, including the need for better interpretation.
- [Where art, politics and social change converge in Vienna: WUK performing arts](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/vienna-wuk-performing-arts.md) — WUK performing arts is a programmatic area of the WUK: a state-funded art and culture hub spanning 12,000 square metres in an ex-locomotive factory in Vienna’s eighth district, which has come to symbolise the essence of the city’s youth culture.
- [Culture revealed: an indispensable online guide for Warsaw's cultural community](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/city-wide-platform-for-culture-online.md) — In September 2021, the City of Warsaw launched a new platform co-financed with the Andrzej Wajda Centre for Film Culture.
- [How a research centre in Buenos Aires is connecting technology and artists](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/latin-american-centre-for-experimental-hypermedia-chela.md) — Buenos Aires has created an innovative cultural infrastructure to support its multimedia and digital artists. 
- [Why 'Mala do Livro' is revolutionising reading and building communities in Brasília](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/mala-do-livro-book-bag-micro-libraries-project.md) — The city of Brasilia is increasing reading opportunities and empowering communities by bringing micro-libraries to city neighbourhoods.
- [Embracing cultural diversity: how 'Enter Festival BXL' engaged citizens in Brussels](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/enter-festival-bxl.md) — As Brussels diversifies, its cultural offering diversifies too. It is important not to programme cultural work that reduces people only to their ethnic, cultural and religious background.s.
- [Tech meets culture in Chengdu: how an app is changing the game in cultural tourism](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/you-chengdu-creating-a-flagship-cultural-app.md) — A mobile app is increasing audience engagement with cultural offerings in Chengdu, particularly for younger audiences and those living in rural areas close to the city.
- [Play, learn, grow: what makes 'Piapi' a unique experience for young children in São Paulo](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/artistic-initiative-for-early-childhood-programme-piapi.md) — São Paulo has introduced a city-wide arts initiative to meet the needs of young children and their communities who previously had no access to cultural programmes.
- [How the Buenos Aires neighbourhood 'Abasto' shaped its cultural renaissance through community collaboration](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/abasto-barrio-cultural.md) — The cultural landscape of Buenos Aires was significantly impacted by the Covid-19 restrictions, particularly affecting independent cultural organisations that were already structurally vulnerable prior to the pandemic. Abasto, a neighbourhood in the eastern part of Buenos Aires, has historically had a lower socio-economic status
- [Acknowledging a shared past: Sydney's Eora Journey unveiled](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/yananurala-walking-on-country.md) — Aboriginal people have faced significant injustices and their culture often dismissed. Sydney's Yananurala initiative to recognise First Nations Australians in public art and the public domain.
- [A stage for all: Zürich introduces transparent funding model with Kultur labour](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/culture-laboratory-zurich.md) — To diversify performing arts offerings, a new funding format has created a collaborative process between artists and experts from science, society and research settings.
- [Innovative arts in action: Melbourne's creative spaces initiatives](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/activating-creative-spaces.md) — In September 2020, the City of Melbourne, in collaboration with funding partner Working for Victoria, launched Flash Forward. This program commissioned local artists to activate 40 of the city center's historic laneways through lighting, music, and creative installations.
- [Creative wellbeing: mental health and wellness for youth in county systems in Los Angeles](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/creative-wellbeing.md) — Through decades of arts-based programming, research, and experience, LA County has seen firsthand how healing-informed arts activities provide youth with an opportunity to learn new skills and express their thoughts or ideas in a creative and therapeutic way.
- [Dementia friendly London: a game-changer for vulnerable residents](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/dementia-friendly-venues-charter.md) — The Mayor of London and the Alzheimer's Society launched the FIRST Dementia Friendly London initiative. The goal is to make London the world's first dementia-friendly capital city.
- [Transformative partnerships: Barcelona brokers relationships between schools and culture and the culture sector](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/school-in-residence-programme.md) — To increase participation of young people in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, the Schools in Residence programme promotes the connection between culture and education within local secondary schools.
- [Breaking down barriers: how the 'ACCESS' programme helps promote culture for all](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/access-culture-for-all.md) — This international collaboration included included Amsterdam, Dublin, Lisbon, London, Sofia, Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius, this network  collaborated, to understand how to make cultural policymaking accessible for every citizen.
- [Watch the recording: 'Tomorrow's Talent: What Do Creatives Need from Cities?'](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/event/public-session-world-cities-culture-summit-2024.md) — At the World Cities Culture Summit 2024 hosted by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, we invited the city's creative community to attend a public session at Alserkal Avenue, Dubai's leading cultural district.