The ordinary plenary session of the Manises City Council in May unanimously approved the strategic and action plan (2022-2025) for Manises as a UNESCO Creative City, a document that aims to outline an itinerary of actions to be developed in favour of our town and its ceramics.
In 2021, we were named UNESCO Creative City in the category of “Crafts and Popular Arts”, becoming part of a relevant international network that brings together all the cities already designated and being the only city in the whole of Spain in this category.
This designation entailed the implementation of a Strategic and Action Plan for the following four years after its designation. The UNESCO Strategic and Action Plan is a technical document that outlines a development path for our town as a UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Arts. It is guided by six strategic objectives, supported by actions and activities, measurable by indicators. It has been carried out with the collaboration of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, an entity with which the municipality has worked together since it prepared to present Manises’ candidacy to UNESCO.
The general objective of the Manises Strategic and Action Plan is to establish the basic strategic lines to align with the fundamental goals established by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. These goals aim to promote the city’s creativity as a strategic factor in sustainable urban development.
In this way, our City Council is tackling the present document to develop the fundamental elements of the Plan, framed in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Actions and measures approved under the UNESCO Strategic and Action Plan
The measures included in the Strategic Plan to be developed until 2025 are six in number, three with a more local character and three with an international scope.
• Implementation of Legal Instruments for the Protection and Management of Ceramic Neighbourhoods
This strategic action aims to harmonise the regional legal framework for heritage protection with the local urban planning rules of Manises. In this way, urban renewal based on the ceramic landscape will be promoted.
• Development of creative gastro-ceramic tourism experiences
This action aims to offer new tourist activities in which ceramic creativity and gastronomy are combined to create unique experiences where two fields of creativity converge. In this way, tourist service providers from the catering industry and artisans will work together to create unique products that can position Manises well within the framework of experiential and creative tourism, as well as being a boost to tourism entrepreneurship.
• Creation of an official online commercial platform for the sale of ceramics.
This strategic action aims to facilitate the sale and distribution of quality ceramic products from Manises throughout the world and thus guarantee support for artisans and artists and local associations for their professional growth, as well as greater resilience of the sector under any circumstances.
• Launching of a Municipal Ceramics Solidarity and International Cooperation Programme
This strategic action seeks to promote the social integration of vulnerable groups (including people of other nationalities and refugees) by providing training courses in the field of ceramics.
• Internationalisation of Ceramic Archaeology Youth Camp
It consists of elevating the traditional Archaeological Camp for Local Youth, which takes place regularly every year in the ceramic quarter of Obradors, to international status. To this end, and in order to create strong links with the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the idea is to invite young people from other creative cities to take part in this archaeological and cultural activity.
• Internationalisation of the Manises Ceramics Festival
This strategic move is to broaden the scope of the current local celebration of the Ceramics Festival, which is held regularly every year, and to elevate it to international status. To this end, and in order to create strong links with the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, it is intended to invite other creative cities to participate in this festival.
