In his 2017 book, The New Urban Crisis, Florida considered the downside of the urban renewal he once advocated. He argued that the big international art cities had become victims of their own success, with huge inequality reaching its peaks, perversely, in the most liberal and creative areas. Neighbourhoods are turned over to banks, developers and the wealthy. By this point, the artists move on to another borough, or another city.

But the international art map is changing, and a new generation of cultural hubs is emerging, well away from global financial centres, property developers and blue-chip art dealers. While a trust fund feels like a prerequisite for making it as an artist in the likes of London, New York and Paris today, this new generation of art cities exists well beyond the canon of Western art history. Here are five cities where the thriving local creative scene demands international attention.

Mexico City

While Donald Trump obsesses about walls and trade tariffs, the creative outlook from those within this city has never been so dynamic, nor has the capital welcomed more outsiders looking for a place to express themselves. The World Design Organization named Mexico City the World Design Capital of 2018, a nod to its unique public architecture, visual culture and innovative design. This city is also home to experimental fashion designers and streetwear brands, championing a new wave of genderless design such as Industrial Clothing, 1/8 Takamura and PAY’S.

To the uninitiated, art in Mexico City can be reduced to two artists: Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. And while both artists’ works are essential, in the six decades since their deaths, Mexican art has continued to evolve, shaped in no small part by the government repression following the Tlatelolco student massacre in 1968, before undergoing its own renaissance in the late 1980s. Today, the Mexican capital’s undeniable energy has made it a go-to city for vibrant contemporary art, often with an unflinching political skew. With exhibits by more than 150 international galleries, Zona Maco has become an essential art fair for international contemporary dealers, while the edgier Material Art Fair focuses on emerging talent.