What makes a creative city；and how will people know？ It is not simply power or trade（“world cities” are not the same as creative cities）. It is not simply culture（which can be a relic of past heritage）. It is not simply the presence of creative and cultural industries（cities need creative scenes and citizens as well as employment）. Of course，cities need creative populations，with a mixture of productive skills and consumer demand，using digital media and social networks，to stimulate innovation，experiment and diversity. This paper isolates some of the different systems and values that must meet and clash productively to ensure creative innovation in a globally competitive city. Drawing on research for a new Creative City Index developed in Australia，the paper shows how creative clusters，services and citizens can give a city a competitive edge. Using such a tool，cities of any size can assess their creative enterprise and develop policies and practices to improve their reputation as a “cultural brand.”