The topic of this paper is relation between concepts of culture, cultural policies and sustainable development using examples from Amsterdam, Berlin, and Rijeka. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate what Rijeka can learn in order to successfully implement sustainability in culture and cultural policies. In the theoretical part, the concepts of culture, cultural policies, and sustainable development are explained in more detail. It also elaborates on relation between culture and sustainability and how culture can become a tool for achieving sustainable development goals. To address the main question of this paper, development strategies and cultural policies were analiyzed, and four interviews were conducted with respondents active in those cities. Through the analysis of cultural policies and development strategies, it was determined that Rijeka made significant progress in cultural development from 2013 to 2020. However, to encompass sustainability at the level of Amsterdam and Berlin, better inter-sectoral collaboration is needed. The interviews indicated that, currently, it is challenging in Rijeka to think of culture as a tool for sustainable development, rather, the priority is for culture to be sustainable on its own. When culture in Rijeka, reaches that stage, following the examples of Amsterdam and Berlin, Rijeka must strenghten collaboration among local communities and different sectors, working together to use culture for social, economic and environmental sustainability.