Creative cities and the international agenda of tourist-cultural policies for urban renewal

Abstract In recent decades, categories such as “creative cities” and “creative districts” have gained ground in the agenda of universities, governments, and international organizations, proposing a new way of thinking about urban policies that combines urban planning, development, arts, culture, and tourism. This article historically analyzes the processes of emergence and dissemination of this political-discursive rationality that is the basis of a new international agenda for cities. It focuses mainly on the reconstitution of the socio-discursive network involved in the recognition of the creative sectors as an urban development strategy and a fundamental part of urban renewal projects adopted worldwide.