In the Georgian city of Tbilisi, multifunctional libraries offer readers wide access to books and media, as well as spaces dedicated to meetings and individual workshops. The city’s libraries regularly hold different cultural and educational events, such as exhibitions and performances in various locations around the city. Tbilisi City Hall houses 33 art schools, which have numerous educational programmes covering different artistic fields, including music, arts and crafts and oratory. Art schools provide facilities and opportunities to amplify the learning process and enable professionals to further strengthen their individual goals. The results are clear, according to a recent study, media art has created significant economic opportunities for the city’s youth. The city’s vision is to strengthen its cultural vibrancy through a holistic development approach, which is built on the creation of new infrastructure as well as the synergies between different creative fields including media arts. Tbilisi Youth Hubs by Tbilisi City Hall plans to elaborate the project in 2022-2024. The complex will provide common working space, studios and workshops. The initiative includes creating hubs for information consulting, innovations, technology, photography and architecture, ecology hubs to enhance sustainable urban development. The hubs will also work on cross-cutting different industries, such as business, music and design. Multifunctional public space will be built on the outskirts of Tbilisi to ensure high accessibility to services, regardless of location. The centre will host an art school with all necessary facilities, such as studios, meeting rooms, conference halls, contemporary library and alternative space. In 2020 Tbilisi City Hall had already developed a detailed architectural plan. In 2022 a tender will be announced to build the complex, furthering the city’s agenda in numerous creative fields.

Added Value:
As a Creative City of Media arts, the following steps will be important:
• Developing collaboration between the state, the private sector and marginal groups using communication channels and programmes to raise public awareness;
• Strengthening international cooperation through the development of foreign residency programmes, training, and international events for artists and professionals;
• Supporting culture via the foundation of Creative Tbilisi, an organization which will support the creative industry with financial and administrative resources;
• Developing Tallinn’s infrastructure to build creative hubs for professionals and the general public;
• Making education accessible, inclusive and addressing educational disparity;
• Ensuring administrative resources follows guidelines through the creation of an independent budgeting programme for infrastructure and projects in media arts; and
• Promoting urban development in collaboration with municipal departments including Eco Politics and Nighttime Economy as well as in partnership with the private sector.