The emergence of Nantes as a creative city

Cities will go to many lengths and adopt strategies to be awarded the title of ‘creative city’. These include building new cultural facilities, welcoming architectural designs from an international star, and bringing scattered industries together to make ‘clusters’. The term ‘creative city’ was coined in Nantes to put a name to an emerging and enthusiastic project based on a pragmatic urban plan for an unclaimed island in the centre of Nantes. Twelve years later, this project has had some achievements and success. The philosophy behind the idea of a creative city is characterised in Nantes by the refusal to be forced to choose between diffusion and creation or between tourists and inhabitants or even between a megastar and an enthusiast. This concept moves forward by experimenting with harnessing local initiatives and inciting cross-functional approaches.