The meeting between key specialists from the cultural sector was organised by Creative Georgia with the support of the EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme, the Georgian Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection, Tbilisi City Council, and the Mayor’s Office.

The term “creative ecosystem” has been in circulation since 2000 when it first appeared in BusinessWeek. Defining a form of infrastructure, in which creative activities emerge, it often consists of three elements: creative people, an environment and the links between them.

Ragnar Siil, a specialist with the EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme, commented on the need to develop cultural and creative ecosystems: “Based on individual and collective creativity, skill and talent, the creative ecosystem is capable of improving well-being and contributing to the creation of new jobs in the city.”

Creative solutions in medicine

Anna Whicher, a London-based expert, illustrate how the creative ecosystem works with the following example. In one of London’s major hospitals, there was a navigation problem: people were lost in the huge building, the offices were hard to find and visitors were distracting staff with their questions. Sociologists and medical staff proposed a simple solution—trace arrows with captions on the hospital floor leading into different directions. Since then, patients are able to find their way to various departments and offices on their own.

“The situation improved at the hospital in just a few days. Visitors were happy and the clinic staff was able to work in a calmer way. The problem was solved by the combined efforts of sociologists and medics,” Anna Whicher said.

Read more: http://forum.culturepartnership.eu/article/conference