Bringing together scholars and practitioners in the cultural disciplines, the Toronto’s City Diplomacy: Arts, Culture, and Heritage research project considers how the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) engages in cultural diplomacy and cultural networks locally and globally. With the Bloor Street Culture Corridor (BCC) as our partner organization, this project examines how the business of international cultural relations is conducted by non-state actors, such as arts networks, advocacy groups and cultural institutions, in tandem with the work of the local government. Using Toronto’s creative and cultural sector and its members as a case study, Toronto’s City Diplomacy: Arts, Culture, and Heritage examines the internal, external, and potential models of cultural relations work to determine best practices and establish actionable strategies that organizations, such as those which are part of the Bloor Street Culture Corridor, can implement. This project seeks to chart a new course in city diplomacy to recognize the importance of culture – and the work of artists, ensembles, arts and cultural practitioners, cultural institutions and municipal officials in cultural services – in a city’s global cultural relations. Unchanged: Bringing together scholars and practitioners in the cultural disciplines, the Toronto’s City Diplomacy: Arts, Culture, and Heritage research project considers how the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) engages in cultural diplomacy and cultural networks locally and globally. With the Bloor Street Culture Corridor (BCC) as our partner organization, this project examines how the business of international cultural relations is conducted by non-state actors, such as arts networks, advocacy groups and cultural institutions, in tandem with the work of the local government. Using Toronto’s creative and cultural sector and its members as a case study, Toronto’s City Diplomacy: Arts, Culture, and Heritage examines the internal, external, and potential models of cultural relations work to determine best practices and establish actionable strategies that organizations, such as those which are part of the Bloor Street Culture Corridor, can implement. This project seeks to chart a new course in city diplomacy to recognize the importance of culture – and the work of artists, ensembles, arts and cultural practitioners, cultural institutions and municipal officials in cultural services – in a city’s global cultural relations.

Cities have emerged as powerful actors in this changing international landscape, undertaking the diplomatic and cultural relations work that was once fulfilled primarily by the state. As Michele Acuto et al. (2018) argue, “local governments are not just spectators of this networked age: they are actively forging links across borders, taking part in setting the international agenda, and shifting the landscape of urban politics from local to increasingly global.” As a form of diplomacy conducted by regional or municipal governments for trade, investments, and partnerships – city diplomacy is characterized by the work of city governments (and the people and institutions located in their jurisdiction) and the processes through which cities participate in diplomatic work to represent themselves and advance their political and economic interests within and beyond their local jurisdictions. Cities have long been the centres of global commerce, “fueling the rise of nations.” City diplomacy has existed for centuries, but it is only recently that it has taken on new and vastly expanded dimensions.

More and more, cities – and especially ‘global cities,’ such as Toronto – make connections between themselves and participate in global networks. Through mutually beneficial and recurrent exchanges, networks facilitate long-term relationships between flexible yet interdependent actors. Cities often engage in international city networks like the Creative Cities Network, the World Cities Culture Forum, EUROCITIES, or United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), which align with (but occasionally counter) national strategies on such environmental, political, and cultural issues as climate change, terrorism, poverty, and LGBTQ2+, women’s, and human rights. Unofficial networks also exist in the form of diasporic connections around the globe, which provide opportunity for trade, investment, and cultural exchange. As Benjamin Leffel and Michele Acuto (2017) explain, “city diplomacy represents increased collective capacity to solve a range of problems spanning the local and global levels,” and initiatives spearheaded by cities and local actors can be scaled up to have global impacts.

This project was made possible through the MITACS Accelerate Program.