Marta Foresti: Why Creativity Is Essential to the Future of Cities

Marta Foresti, Founder and CEO of LAGO Collective and Chair of the Global Creative Economy Council, joins The Century of Cities to explore the evolving relationship between cities, creativity, migration, and growth. Reflecting on her upbringing in Milan and her work across Europe and Africa, Marta traces the shift from car-dominated, exclusionary cities toward more open and creative urban environments. But she also warns that the same forces driving investment and global visibility can push out the artists, young talent, and cultural spaces that give cities their identity. Marta sees a future where cities thrive when they remain open to movement, experimentation, and the bottom-up energy that allows people and ideas to flourish.