Operationalization of the Creative City Concept in Japan: A Comparative Review with a Special Focus on Kanazawa and Environmental Sustainability

The creative city concept has gained global recognition, notably through the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). In Japan, facing declining birth rates and economic stagnation, this framework was seen as a revitalization tool to increase the urban quality. Yet, while the creative city concept clearly appears on the theoretical level, its operationalization usually remains unclear. Additionally, previous research considers sustainability questions through economic, social, and cultural lenses but more rarely through environmental aspects. Thus, this paper aims to explore the implementation of the creative city in Japan, unveil the specific elements composing the policies of UNESCO Creative Cities, and question how environmental sustainability is addressed in these policies. The research method includes a qualitative analysis of the membership monitoring reports (MMRs) submitted by cities to UNESCO. Conducting a field survey in a creative facility and a hearing survey with the city government, the research also focuses on Kanazawa as a case study to explore in greater depth the interaction between creative city strategies and environmental sustainability. Among the research findings, economic perspectives—through support for creative industries and the promotion of tourism—and systematic actions targeting children dominate the MMRs, while socio-environmental aspects receive less attention. Most ambitious initiatives toward environmental sustainability were implemented in rural cities. In Kanazawa, it appears the creative city policy is independent of the local environmental policies, although some opportunities exist to connect them. The field survey indeed reveals that some spontaneous initiatives toward environmental sustainability might emanate from a creative facility. Therefore, the paper provides significance in unveiling the specific content of creative city policies in Japan and in re-examining the notion of creativity to integrate environmental sustainability into the creative city agenda.