The World Cities Culture Forum is a collaborative network of world cities that share a belief in the importance of culture for creating thriving cities. World cities, because of their political and economic influence, play a crucial role in setting the global agenda around sustainable urban development. The Forum is the only network in which the world’s leading cities can collectively set an actionable agenda for a sustainable urban future through culture. The World Cities Culture Forum was founded in 2012 by London, New York, Shanghai, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, Johannesburg, and Istanbul, and now includes 22 members from leading cities around the world. It is an initiative of the Mayor of London, organised and coordinated by BOP Consulting. The Forum works by convening a global network of senior policymakers and people of influence, who can speak knowledgably about conditions in their own cities, exchange ideas with international colleagues and promote innovation at home. The Forum also conducts comparative research on member cities to build a strong evidence base about the wide-ranging ways in which culture impacts on a world city and its inhabitants.