In 2004, Edinburgh was the first city to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. This designation has paved the way for a number of initiatives supporting the continued success of the city’s creative community. With the acknowledged need to update their culture policy, Edinburgh City Council launched the Desire Lines programme. With the aim of supporting growth and success within the community, the research and workshops carried out by the team involved close collaboration with the artistic sector in order to understand the concerns and improvements required. By facilitating artist-led conversations, this participatory initiative enabled the artistic sector to have a voice and play an active role in developing governmental cultural policy. In maintaining the strong creative sector, the programme not only supports economic stability within the industry, but also provides people with the opportunity to work together and form partnerships within the local area.