Time for creativity

If the global crisis we are going through has left something clear is that the proposed alternatives to overcome it must be clearly separated from the causes that in the first place caused it.

Thus, nowadays with the running economic regeneration, we necessarily believe on betting on development alternatives on which the human being is the scale to be used. Proposals, where the creative capacity, as a result of an open disposition to change, have to command.

There is no doubt of the role of creativity, nor of innovation, as a commercial application, quoting M. Castell, regarding with economic development. In this sense, the report "The economy of culture in Europe" written by KEA European Affaire and ordered by the EU remarks the potential of the culture sector regarding employment creation, both in number and quality, and in such a way, showing the impact of culture in the European economic development. As a matter of fact, the report estimates that 2,6 % of the European GDP is directly related to the sector of culture providing 5,8 million people a job for good.

There are proofs which remark that the information society is opening a way to social creativity. So, in creative industries, which are cultural industries plus the whole artistic and cultural production, including sectors such as architecture, publicity, design, and software production are presented themselves as emergent products able to resist the threats of the global crisis.

UNESCO's project known as "creative cities" is found within this context, adding up creativity, cultural industries, economic development and social cohesion.

This creative cities proposal is a network comprising 16 cities of the whole planet which commitment is to encourage cultural diversity, making use of the economic, social and especially creative potential. Each of the cities is registered in any of six thematic networks: cities of design, of literature of the music, of digital art, of folk art and gastronomy.

In fact, this network will hold this year the First International Congress of Creative Cities in Madrid, on October the 22nd, 23th and 24th .

There underlies the conscience of being possible to reach the economic development in a limited space, managing to support a high valuation of social cohesion.

At a local scale, we might talk about Peñaranda de Bracamonte's model. This small locality in Salamanca is an example of economic development and social transformation starting from cultural and creative investment.

The role played by Fundacion Germán Sánchez Ruipérez, through the International Center of Advanced technologies for the rural area (RA), and the Center of Socio-cultural Development, has allowed, at an immediate level, Peñaranda's population to have the highest reading index of Europe as well as one of the highest levels of school success in Spain. At an immediate level the promotion of creativity across the CSCD has managed to wake up the curiosity and catalyze the enterprising spirit of young people and adults of the region.

Certainly the crisis has eliminated certainties and safeties, but it is also allowing the surfacing of new development models at a more human scale. The bet on creativity and culture, whether due to cultural industries concentration in limited areas or through cooperation within a network of different entities spread all over the planet, is one of the answers with a longest way in these uncertain times.