This year marks the tenth anniversary since Dundee was inducted into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, becoming the UK's first - and currently only UNESCO City of Design.
Adobe recently published a list of the world's most creative cities, unfortunately, the methodology only factored in major cities around the world.
Small cities like Dundee don't get featured in these types of lists which is sad to see as there are many amazing small cities that are often missed out that have major industries.
For being a city with only a population of 148,000, Dundee has achieved so much which has led to it becoming one of the world's most creative cities.
So to celebrate, Dundee Culture looks at the ten reasons why Dundee is one of the world's most creative cities.
Comic book galore!
Dundee is the home of The Beano, the best-selling comic book series in the world outwith Japan, selling over 2 billion copies since its launch back in 1938.
This is such an incredible feat for a small city like Dundee. Not only is the Beano published here, but titles such as The Dandy and Oor Wullie were published here by DC Thomson as well.
Dundee's comic book industry was the basis behind the ever so incredible Dundee Summer (Bash) Streets Festival in 2022 which garnered international attention.
Video game capital
This one is . It is well established now that Dundee is the birthplace of the Scottish video game industry, this title coming as a result of Dundee-based video game companies such as DMA Design creating beloved titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings.
Not just that though, as Dundee has also been a hub for computer manufacturing. Timex were responsible for manufacturing the ZX Spectrum which triggered the start of this industry in Dundee.
In recent years, 4J Studios have been involved in the co-production of Minecraft, one of the best-selling video games of all time.
Dundee's video game industry continues to be a success story. The city has more video game jobs per head than any other city in the UK - and is now often cited as the UK's answer to Silicon Valley.
Groundbreaking degrees
Staying on the subject of video games, Abertay University is an expert in this field. Abertay was the first university in the world to introduce a degree in computer games design back in 1997.
The degree by the university has been ranked as the best in Europe - and one of the best in the world on numerous consecutive occasions.
Abertay University was also the first university in the world to introduce a degree in ethical hacking back in 2006.
Dundee and Angus College meanwhile was the first college in Scotland to introduce a degree in esports.
The life sciences industry
Dundee's life sciences industry is one of the finest in the world. It is globally renowned as . Scientists from over 40 countries globally work at the University of Dundee's School of Life Sciences.
The School of Life Sciences is an incredible institution, leading the way in finding treatments for Parkinson's disease, malaria and cancer.
Life sciences are Dundee's latest industry and it is only growing, and it continues to play a cruical role in Dundee's success as a creative city.
Origin of the some of the world's most incredible inventions
Dundee is also one of the most innovative cities in the world, being a pioneer in many industries.
Statistical graphs, aspirin, the incandescent light bulb, the adhesive postage stamp and airplanes are some inventions that Dundee has helped pioneer.
Dundee continues to be a pioneer in several industries and it is just amazing to see!
Home to one of the world's most sustainable design festival
This year's Dundee Design Festival is being touted as one of the world's most sustainable design festivals. It is being hosted in September at the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc.
The hub of public art
Dundee's creative spark continues to grow. Our public art is absolutely incredible. Over 600 pieces of public art and scattered about the city.
Dundee is credited for being one of the first cities in the UK to have its own fully funded public art programme.
The Oor Wullie Bucket Trail and the Maggie's Penguin trail are just two examples of recent art trails that captured the hearts of folk across Scotland, the UK and even the world.
An amazing research ship on the doorstep
The RRS Discovery, which sits at the heart of Dundee's waterfront, is a symbol of the city's maritime heritage. It was the first ship in the world designed for scientific research.
It is known for helping Antarctica being identified as a continent, and it also conducted the world's first climate change research.
Some of the most renowned museums in the UK
The V&A Dundee, McManus Galleries, the Dundee Contemporary Arts, D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum, Dundee Museum of Transport, the HMS Unicorn, the RRS Discovery & Discovery Point, the Tayside Medical Museum and Broughty Castle Museum.
Just some of the incredible museums we have in the city.
The V&A Dundee was Scotland's first design museum. The opening of the museum helped Dundee garner international attention.
Three museums in Dundee have also been nominated for Art Fund's Museum of the Year, with the DCA being named as a finalist in this year's competition.
Leading a green revolution
Having been named as the electric vehicle capital of Europe, and having institutions leading in the field of climate change research, Dundee is one of the most green cities in the world.
Dundee will soon be home to Eden Project, which aims to open by 2030. This will cement Dundee's position as a leading city in this field.
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