CINEMA CREATIVE INDUSTRIES FOR NEW URBAN ECONOMIES IN THE DANUBE REGION

The CINEMA project aims to foster urban regeneration by collaborating with creative industries. The revitalisation of urban areas and city centres is a key challenge for social cohesion and competitiveness in the Danube Region. Many inner cities suffer from desertion as a result of industrial transformation, changing consumer habits, suburbanisation, etc. At the same time the creative industries are a cradle of innovation and an underestimated economic asset in each region.

Our partnership consists of municipalities, enterprises, business support organisations, creatives and academia from eight countries in the Danube Region. Together we are working on the

Revitalisation of empty floor space for creative industries: We want to develop creative spaces in previously abandoned areas and buildings. The creative industries provide great potential of transforming empty spaces into quality spaces. This will help to improve the identity of towns and to raise the quality of life for the citizens.

Revitalisation of retail and small businesses: Together with local creative industries we aim to prevent further loss of service infrastructure within city centres. Strengthened retail and business will increase purchasing power and economic prospects. The key is cooperation between creatives, retailers, local authorities and citizens. We encourage all these partners to embrace co-creation and to identify a common vision.

Establishment of support centres for creative industries: We want to provide an ecosystem for creative start-ups. They need to learn and to explore, to connect with other industries, in order to become a powerful and innovative force in the local economy. We support new economic activities and creative infrastructure in order to improve innovation capacity.

In our regional pilot locations we will create roadmaps to shape new and restructure old urban economies while tackling environmental and social challenges. The tools, services and policy recommendations for business support organisations and policy makers will improve the capacities for innovation in a sustainable and transferable way.

We are looking forward to providing neglected city centres with a creative and innovative spirit! This only works by building a network of key players within each region and the whole Danube Region.