Comedia was founded in 1978 by Charles Landry and has comprised a group of people who developed projects concerned with city life, culture and creativity. Many individuals like Phil Wood, Jonathan Hyams, Fred Brookes, Ken Worpole, Dave Morley, Franco Bianchini, Crispin Aubrey, Peter Hall, Geoff Mulgan, Jude Bloomfield, Patrick Wright, Naseem Khan, Russell Southwood, Peter Boyden, Liz Greenhalgh, John Montgomery and Francois Matarasso have contributed to Comedia’s growth.
This 46 year history resulted in over 500 projects across the globe and more than 200 publications, many of which are regarded as ground-breaking. Comedia has always innovated and provoked a different way of thinking. It was among the first to develop and explore concepts such as the creative economy, the idea of cultural resources, and the key role of the cultural industries. More recently Charles Landry introduced the creative cities concept.
Project highlights include The Richness of Cities, Culture At The Crossroads, and The Art of Regeneration, Creativity and Culture, and our work in cities as diverse as Osaka and Wakefield, Dubai and Doncaster, Melbourne and Tirana, Johannesburg and St. Petersburg, Perth and Penang, Helsinki and Huddersfield. Important books include: The Creative City, The Art of City Making, The Intercultural City, and Riding the Rapids: Urban Life in an Age of Complexity.
The Comedia history will be preserved within its founder’s banner, charleslandry.com, and through the strength of its reputation and publications. Those involved feel that the need for a structured organisation has passed, and therefore Comedia is now effectively a portal through which to access the individual work of its participants.
