Culture
Saudi DJ Baloo in Riyadh: “We Still Think It’s Our Woodstock”
A longing music scene has risen from the underground in Saudi cities, poised to create noise for Saudis to be themselves and inspire future generations
RIYADH SAUDI ARABIA
Europe
Culture
Open Houses: Monacensia Hildebrandhaus, Munich
Monacensia Hildebrand’s house in Munich was a place for intellectuals, later swept out by the Nazis — it rebounded as the literary memory of the city and a refuge for writers
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
London’s Housing Voices Offer Solutions for Whitehall
During an insightful roundtable with The Urban Activist, some voices in London spoke about council housing and delivered a clear message to solve the housing crisis
LONDON, UK
Culture
A Film Director’s Ode to the Roma Women of Her City
Film director Lara Izagirre engages with Roma women in a documentary blurring the line between realism and entertainment as part of a broader mission for social change
BILBAO, SPAIN
Culture
In This Brutalist Building, Youngsters Find Strength in Imperfection
The ImperfectCity initiative uses the psychology of brutalist architecture to free young people from an unrealistic “culture of perfection” and help them thrive
AARHUS, DENMARK
Culture
An Artist Challenges the Imagery of Women in Public Space
London-based artist Hanna Benihoud seeks meaning in the mundane to elevate women in public space — transcending all boundaries
LONDON, UK
Culture
Paris’s Unlikely Revolutionary: Its Philharmonie
The Philharmonie de Paris has reached places and audiences where other concert halls in their temples have never been before — music is its language for social change
PARIS, FRANCE
Culture
Coffee With a Jew
While anti-Semitism permeates social networks, Munich Jews “ask people to talk to us, not about us” at daylight to dispel prejudice about Jewish life
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
The Good Landlord
There’s a personal dimension to Munich’s property ownership transformation that is crucial to providing affordable housing — yet mostly hidden behind the public anger
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
The Barcelona Way to Longevity
People living longer is a success of humanity, and as such, society should recognize the unique and significant value of old age
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Culture
German Jews Return to Their Berliner Homes
Claudia Saam and Wolf-Rüdiger Baumann extensively researched their building’s former residents, most of them German Jews, and found their descendants abroad.
BERLIN, GERMANY
Culture
The Universal Language of Chess
Chess activist Kineke Mulder shows us in Vienna how playing chess could help stem the tide of individualism and polarization in other cities too
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Culture
The Gift of Cultural Participation
The nonprofit KulturRaum München enables access to culture for low income residents in Munich – but cultural participation often requires more than a free ticket
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
Italian Rapper Gets ‘Real’ on ‘Baby Gangs’
Italian rapper ‘Real’ sings about what some Italians don’t really want to hear – and that’s part of the problem
NAPLES, ITALY
Culture
The Therapeutic Potential of Libraries
Storytelling has the ability to change our emotional and social behavior; the project “Libraries on Prescription” in Greece explores its healing power
ATHENS, GREECE
Culture
An Enclave in Spain Against Phone-Based Childhood
It began with schools, and spread to the streets. Parents in towns of the Basque Country spearheaded joint initiatives to fight a phone-based childhood
BILBAO, SPAIN
Culture
Habibi Kiosk: A Bold Move for Munich’s Main Theater
Culture in Munich is mutating into new perspectives at Habibi Kiosk ; the success at its privileged location addresses difficult questions about the city
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
A Migrant’s Journey to Founding Cologne’s First Black Library
Guyanese Glenda Obermuller’s personal story led to the founding of the first Black Library in Cologne, Germany, the land of her great-grandfather
COLOGNE, GERMANY
Culture
Berlin’s Israeli-Palestinian Restaurant Kanaan Serves Food for Thought
In Berlin, the Israeli-Palestinian restaurant Kanaan achieves what currently seems impossible in its owners’ disputed homeland
BERLIN, GERMANY
Culture
It’s Bold, and Works. Metalheads Against Bullying
The metal and rock community has the knack of making young people feel comfortable with themselves – and uses it to fight bullying in Oslo and beyond
OSLO, NORWAY
Culture
How Afro Brunch Took Over Barcelona — and Is Still Unraveling in Spain
Born in Barcelona, Afro Brunch is filling venues with Afrobeats while elevating African culture with a new identity pride of a diverse society in Spain
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Culture
“Uffizi Diffusi”: Gallery Director Eike Schmidt Is Bringing Artworks “Back Into the Community”
How the decentralizing "Uffizi Diffusi" initiative at the Florentine Gallery offers a healthier alternative to overtourism while reinvigorating the greater region
FLORENCE, METROPOLITAN CITY OF FLORENCE, ITALY
Culture
Nicoletta Tranquillo on Founding Le Serre Dei Giardini in Bologna
Instead of a Silicon Valley culture, Bologna has opted for a Mediterranean model for its innovation ecosystem with a strong social and environmental vocation
BOLOGNA, METROPOLITAN CITY OF BOLOGNA, ITALY
Culture
Made in Bloqs: The Future of Manufacturing Is Urban
Our biggest urban challenges – environment, health, poverty – raise a key question: should manufacturing be brought back to the city?
LONDON, UK
Culture
“Who Owns the City?” – How Affordable Housing Could Pick Its Battle
Advocate Christoph Trautvetter has opened up a Pandora’s box of ownership structures in cities paving the way for policy on affordable housing.
BERLIN, GERMANY
Culture
Ukrainian Artists Advocate for Empathy in Kyiv
As Russian bombs fall, Ukrainian artists have produced activist responses at the PinchukArtCentre Prize 2022 exhibition in Kyiv to stir pain empathy
KYIV, UKRAINE
Culture
The Knife Grinders of Madrid and Barcelona
Knife grinders withstand the disappearance of traditional workshops in Madrid and Barcelona — but craftsmanship could benefit cities and the planet.
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Culture
The Horniman Museum in London Is a Welcome Truth of Our World—to Change It
At this Museum nature and heritage are not explained to make us comfortable. Its honesty evokes active citizenship as people reckon with the exigencies of social justice and climate.
LONDON, UK
Culture
Neutrality Shows Its Limits in Berlin: The Museum Berlin-Karlshorst
The director of the Museum Berlin-Karlshorst, formerly known as the Russian-German Museum, on its difficult task — and how neutrality no longer provides a refuge for Russian culture in Berlin.
BERLIN, GERMANY
Culture
Unity Through Sound: Community Radio Stations in Amsterdam
Independent, online radio stations are finding ways to strengthen creative communities and promote unity from the grassroots in Amsterdam and in other Dutch cities.
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Culture
Older Viennese Reveal Their Baking Secrets to Combat Isolation
‘Vollpension’ is a particular coffee shop in Vienna that weaves together older and younger generations through baking. It provides an insight into the situation of the elderly in the city.
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Culture
One War, Two Fights: LGBTQ Activists in Kyiv
LGBTQ activists in Kyiv have made great progress on their rights. Now at war, they say information is being weaponized to shut them down.
KYIV, UKRAINE
Culture
Museum Prescriptions for a Healthy City — Is Art That Good?
How Brussels prescribes its own cultural gifts, urban privileges we may often take for granted or may not be able to afford, for a healthy community, a healthy city.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Culture
Pacifism Is a Privilege. What the War in Ukraine Can Teach Us About Cultural Institutions
A Ukrainian curator, art historian and critic on how the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw changes its strategies to the current evils. And how the question of neutrality restrains others.
WARSAW, POLAND
Culture
‘There Is No Culture Without Future’: Reina Sofía Museum’s Distinct Vision
A unique collaboration between the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid and its neighbourhood of Lavapiés questions the role of museums in relation to their physical environment.
MADRID, SPAIN
Culture
The Way of Lust. Could Her Feminist Porn Equalise Urban Sexualities?
The filmmaker based in Barcelona, Erika Lust, advocates for equal pleasure, a desire that could create more sexually healthy cities if it finds its way into the public space.
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Culture
Two Ex-Lovers Curate a Museum to Mend Urban Dwellers’ Broken Hearts
“Let us share a secret: even if you feel like grabbing an axe and breaking stuff - you will eventually get over it.” It’s time to walk through the Museum of Broken Relationships, to overcome emotional collapse.
ZAGREB, CROATIA
Culture
A Museum’s Stance on the Nazi Legacy of Its Grounds
The Museum of Egyptian Art was built where a monumental building for the Nazi Party was supposed to stand in Munich. Dealing with the past in public spaces is controversial in this city, but the museum hewed to its principles
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
It Isn’t All About Money. Will Bristolians Come Up With a New Economy?
Bristol is a one-off city, host to many progressive ideas by environmental and social conscious residents. The development of their own payment method ‘Bristol Pay’ could be an alluring alternative to Bristolians to build a green and fair economy for the city.
BRISTOL, UK
Culture
Delivery Rider Collectives Are Revolutionizing a Global Business
A network of worker delivery collectives across cities are racing to compete with global platforms and humanize the business model. The solution relies on platform cooperativism.
PARIS, FRANCE
Culture
‘Human Hotel’ Offers Non-Profit Homesharing for Remarkable Encounters
In Glasgow locals are opening their houses to non-profit for activists, scientists, or policymakers. The hosting platform called Human Hotel is expanding homesharing to unite people in cities for meaningful causes.
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
Culture
Barcelona Wears Top Manta, True Clothing Made by Illegal People
Top Manta is a brand created by undocumented people off the streets of Barcelona. Its existence dignifies the immigrant community and challenges the image of a tolerant and inclusive city.
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Culture
New Neighbours: Ulme35 Lays the Foundation for Belonging in Berlin
Ulme35 is a space of encounters between refugees and locals, powered by a welcoming culture in their neighbourhood to be envied in Berlin. A new Integration Hub will ensue.
BERLIN, GERMANY
Culture
Meet Las Kellys. Their Cause Redefines Tourism in Barcelona
The policy change affected by Las Kellys to restore the rights of chambermaids in Barcelona opens the debate about ethical tourism to reduce inequality in the city.
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Culture
A Healthy Barter in Cities: Affordable Good Food for Time
Three hours of our time a month in a grocery store would reduce labour costs to charge lower prices. Food cooperatives called it a ‘virtuous cycle’. This is not volunteering, pure noble business, the in-kind pay is health.
MADRID, SPAIN
Culture
Graphic Heritage: The Vanishing Face of Cities’ Colourful History
A grassroots movement in Spanish cities is documenting and safeguarding commercial signs of the most unique mom-and-pop shops and bars. This Graphic Heritage captures a disappearing world.
MADRID, SPAIN
Culture
Reinventing Affordable Housing in Cities
Creative non-profit housing projects, which focus on cohesive societies, benefit the long-term health of neighbourhoods while offering affordable housing for future generations.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
Cafes Spur Anonymous Kindness in the City of Munich as Part of Daily Life
The initiative ‘hey’ at cafes in Munich encourages people in need to participate in the daily life of the city through free coffee and meals. In Covid-19 time cafes are getting the support back by an attempt to increase their sales.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
‘Tranquil City’ Reveals Spaces of Urban Calm to Promote Healthy Cities
The initiative Tranquil City maps tranquil spaces together with simplified datasets, such as noise and air pollution, to integrate them into various applications and promote healthier lifestyles in citizens.
LONDON, UK
Culture
‘So Lonely’: Opening Up Eases Loneliness in Cities
‘So lonely’ is a compendium of artistic interventions in public spaces, which intends to listen to how citizens go about loneliness in Munich. All leads to a closing participatory theater to advance action against social isolation.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
Clärchens Ballhaus Comeback in Berlin Stands for an Inclusive Cultural Institution
Clärchens Ballhaus will reopen soon in Berlin. Privately owned, it embodies the challenge of future cultural institutions in cities to engage with a diverse crowd.
BERLIN, GERMANY
Culture
J.E.W.S Weaves a Network of Solidarity to Counter Anti-Semitism
Via ‘kippa parties’ and ‘tolerance encounters’, a Munich-based association weaves a network of enthusiasm and participation – one strong enough to defuse Jewish fears of anti-Semitism.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
Addressing Homelessness in Cities: Proxyaddress in London
Chris Hildrey realized that by giving homeless people a proxy address at an early stage, it helps avoid entrenchment and get them back on their feet.
LONDON, UK
Culture
Urban Gardens Undergird a Network of Trust in Budapest
Kisdiófa Kert is an urban garden in Erzsébetváros neighbourhood, where citizens connect to each other building trust and supportive relationships in Budapest.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Culture
Citizens Face Up Holocaust Remembrance in Weimar
A remembrance photo project at public space in Weimar (Germany) confronts citizens with the city's history and invites them to pause and reflect.
WEIMAR, GERMANY
Culture
Bookstore’s Business Is Culture Towards a More Democratic City
The Tucholsky bookstore in Berlin sells more than just books. Over the years, its owner, Jörg Braunsdorf, has created a community around culture for neighbours and regular customers who meet at the bookstore periodically. Culture has energized a collective force with the civil courage to face up to the far right in their neighbourhood towards ...
BERLIN, GERMANY
Culture
A Diverse Local Community Finds a Consensus to Assert Power
The K-Buurt or K-neighbourhood is located around Amsterdam-Zuidoost’s Kraaiennest subway station. This community in the suburbs of Amsterdam has demanded recognition from the city since they founded Hart voor de K-Buurt (Heart for the K-Neighbourhood), a local multicultural community network of neighbours who are finding consensus language to assert power over the future of its ...
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Culture
Ask a Muslim, a Jew or a Christian: Answers at Public Space
A group of students with different faiths have come together on the streets of Munich. They have seduced passersby with free hummus ice cream to start an open conversation and answer questions about their faiths at public space. There are three tables with signs, which read: ask a Muslim, a Jew or a Christian. The ...
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
Looking Forward to Wednesdays. Tackling Drug Addiction in Oslo.
Wednesdays volunteers meet at the city centre to distribute food, hygiene products and clothes. How they are tackling drug addiction in Oslo.
OSLO, NORWAY
Culture
Taiji at the Opera House Roof Projects Peace Into the City
It is 7:30 in the morning in Oslo. A strong wind and an intensive sun reflected on the white granite and Italian Carrara marble walls invade the roof of the Opera House. Energy concentrates in one space where a group of people practises Taijiquan thanks to Pamela Hiley. During the spring and summer months she ...
OSLO, NORWAY
Culture
Female Street Art Praises Women’s Achievements at Public Space
The street art world is dominated by men. ‘Hands Off The Wall’ endeavours to change that, at least in Vienna. Female street artists have gathered around a street art festival to show their work, praise other women’s achievements and inspire girls to succeed. ‘Hands Off The Wall’ is Austria’s first street art and graffiti festival ...
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Culture
Hip Hop Culture Fights Hate With Graffiti in Berlin – #Paintback
Hip Hop is not just a musical genre, but a cultural movement which originated in the Bronx district of the city of New York in the 1970s and came with the Americans to Berlin. Ibo Omari, a citizen of Berlin, is a firm advocator of the Hip Hop culture, which he embraces in all social ...
BERLIN, GERMANY
Culture
Refugees Home in the City Centre to Address Urban Migration
What started as saving a sports ground, became one of the most inspiring projects to welcome refugees in the city centre of Munich. It is a great example of how to address the challenge of urban migration and how integration can actually work. Munich has been welcoming a significant number of refugees since the Syria ...
MUNICH, GERMANY
Culture
Neighbours Keep Jewish History Alive in Berlin – Denk Mal Am Ort
Marie Rolshoven, a cultural scientist, lives in Berlin in Schöneberg neighbourhood, which was once home to Jewish artists and intellectuals such as Albert Einstein. Moved by the fact that, twenty three former Jewish residents of her whole building were deported during the Nazi era, she wanted to keep the history of her neighbours alive. Inspired by the ...
BERLIN, GERMANY
US
Culture
LA’s Next Urban Revolution: A Public Bank
As Los Angeles confronts inequality, extreme weather, and a housing crisis, activist Trinity Tran leads Public Bank LA to replace Wall Street finance and transform the city’s future
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA
Culture
In Brooklyn, History Is Dismantling Gentrification Efforts
While the US administration cuts funding for museums that tell the full American story, advocates in Brooklyn ask, “Can preserving Black histories end gentrification in their neighborhoods?”
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
An Artist’s Antidote to Gentrification
Artist Tonika Johnson’s work about racist housing practices in South Side Chicago has bridged the intellectual divide between art and urban policy – and found that home repairs can offset gentrification
CHICAGO, IL, USA
Culture
A House in Philadelphia and the Truth About US History
Without having to step foot inside, award-winning artist Sonya Clark’s new exhibit at Declaration House in Philadelphia engages passers-by with the entangled legacies of the United States’ founding
PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA
Culture
Creating “Families” That Transform a Neighborhood – With Thread
American society is in trouble – from school failure to an opioid crisis to gun violence. We need horizontal solutions like Thread to mend our fragile neighborhoods
BALTIMORE, MD, USA
Culture
The Art of Existence: A Palestine Museum in the U.S.
A Palestine Museum in American suburbia sends a message to the world: through art perhaps we could all agree
NEW HAVEN, CT, USA
Culture
Incarcerated Parents and the Power of Girls
Parental incarceration leaves a legacy and contributes to overflowing US jails; one group of girls in New Orleans may break the chain
NEW ORLEANS, LA, USA
Culture
Why Everybody Who’s Serious About Affordable Housing Should Know Scott Kratz
If cities want to crack affordable housing, Scott Kratz, director of the 11th Street Bridge Park, is the go-to for taking an honest approach on a contentious issue
WASHINGTON D.C., DC, USA
Culture
Emma’s Torch Café Lights Hope for Refugees in New York
Founder Kerry Brodie on running cafés to train asylees culinary skills — and why creating opportunities is crucial in the midst of a migrant crisis in New York
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
Artist and Activist Devin Allen’s Moment in Baltimore
While his camera captures life and race in Baltimore, Devin Allen puts cameras into kids’ hands against gun violence — both in pursuit of social justice
BALTIMORE, MD, USA
Culture
Warhol Museum Sparks a New Economy Around Its Pop District
Byron Nash on the Warhol Museum and opening minds to a new creative industry in Pittsburgh with the engagement of savvy digital youngsters
PITTSBURGH, PA, USA
Culture
What Happened When Disadvantaged Youth Sail in Manhattan
A sailing program on the Hudson River by a group of amateur sailors can reduce inequality for students in public schools in Manhattan
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
In Brooklyn, Dreams Are Made of Community-Minded Banking
While wealth inequality persists, the banking cooperative Brooklyn Coop has become a pillar for the local economy and prosperity of its community
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
A Woman’s Trojan Horse for Sobriety in New York
Lorelei Bandrovschi, founder of alcohol-free Listen Bar, on creating a space for sober curiosity and showing New Yorkers fun is still possible
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
Feeding Pets: A Canny Idea Helps the Homeless
While some may feel a homeless person should be barred from possessing pets, the reality is far different
CARSON CITY, NV, USA
Culture
‘Bad Ballet’ Makes Baltimore a “Hub of Healing” for Survivors of Violence
Tyde-Courtney Edwards’ mission to “repurpose ballet” for women and youth survivors strengthens community response to violence in Baltimore
BALTIMORE, MD, USA
Culture
Poetry Finds A Home in South Los Angeles
Award-winning poet Chisara Asomugha on the creation of the first library of poetry in Los Angeles and how poetry spaces humanize us
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA
Culture
In Brooklyn, a Unique Archive Cares for Social Justice
Filled with all sorts of ephemera, Interference Archive encourages social engagement through the cultural production of social movements.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
“I Can’t Breathe” Has Entered a New Stage in Minneapolis
Transforming an old building could reverse years of environmental injustice. Would the city of Minneapolis rise to this “now or never” moment?
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, USA
Culture
A Running Club Fights Addiction in Boston
No longer feeling lost for being sober. Why joining the Boston Bulldogs Running Club can be a lifesaving decision in the drug addiction crisis.
BOSTON, MA, USA
Culture
Fit for Purpose, a Successful Unscientific Experiment in Boston
Not far from Harvard, where a study on economic mobility suggests the rich and poor should socialise more, an unconventional gym is a living proof
BOSTON, MA, USA
Culture
A Place to Call Home on the Way to One’s Own
How a Motel 6 in Oakland has become a progressive response to a homeless crisis.
OAKLAND, CA, USA
Culture
Esmoa in Los Angeles — a Museum Breaking the Mould of Definition
This museum’s work supports a diversity of thought through art, including a rethinking of the definition of a museum
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA
Culture
Guarding the Art: Baltimore Museum Gives a Voice to Its Community
A revolutionary show, curated by security staff, spotlights the commitment of the museum to be more representative of the community it serves.
BALTIMORE, MD, USA
Culture
More Than a Place to Read: Memphis Library’s Innovative Transformation
The Cossitt Library in Memphis might be almost 130 years old; yet, it is one of the most innovative in the US. Its latest renovation will unite the city in ways beyond a dedication to the written word.
MEMPHIS, TN, USA
Culture
Center for Public Secrets: Not Leaving History to Historians Alone
How a grassroots idea becomes a cultural institution and a community weaving a tapestry of untold and neglected histories the city prefers to keep private.
TULSA, OK, USA
Culture
Artist Lee Mingwei Creates Moments of Change in Cities
Lee Mingwei has transgressed the walls of museums. His participatory art provokes human connectedness among strangers. These moments of change are evidence of how museums could embrace new approaches to advance social value.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
It’s Deeper Than Tomatoes: Peacemaking in New York’s Urban Gardens
Peacebuilders Skye Roper-Moses and Michelle V. Jackson recognized the unique position that community gardens have to flourish deeply rooted urban conflicts in neighbourhoods. They support community gardener efforts by using their training in conflict resolution.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
Housing Los Angelenos Is a Human Right and Can Fight Climate Change
Decades of housing shortage has submerged Los Angeles in a humanitarian and sustainability crisis in the midst of extreme weather. But a growing group of volunteer Angelenos are building the movement to house LA and reverse climate change.
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA
Culture
From Tulsa to New York Black Capitalism Is on the Rise. For All.
Black capitalism was born out of resilient African-Americans left with no other choice than to support each other to thrive. Years later it could be the answer to the troubles of some US cities. For the benefit of all.
TULSA, OK, USA
Culture
Racial Trauma: Unchaining Ancestors’ Stories to Heal Cities
The struggle of Afro-Americans venting their stories in the white context of cities keeps feeding their trauma. The initiative “Witness to History” restores untold stories of slavery in its town as a precondition for healing.
GUILFORD, CT, USA
Culture
Saving Jazz to Save the City. From New York to the World
Mitchell Borden, founder of legendary Smalls and Fat Cat clubs, and his wife, jazz musician Rie Yamaguchi-Borden, hold on to the unifying power of music to revive the jazz community and local businesses of New York.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
Holding New York Together. A Social Club Sparks Talks in the Subway
The idea of a Social Club in New York’s subway recognises the mass transit system as much more of a comfortable public space rather than as a means of transport. A holistic approach can make passengers return.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
Monumental Women in Cities. Untapped Women’s History
The first statue of real women at Central Park has been installed after 167 years of the park's history thanks to female activists. Another historical moment into untapped women’s history.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
Growing the Truly City Game in New York to Empower Girls
Chiene Jones, awarded 2020 Jr. Knicks Coach of the Year, is determined to use basketball to create powerful future women, specially in underserved urban communities.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
Friends of Morningside Park in Harlem Epitomize the Fight at the Local Scale to Invest in Communities
Residents, local organizations and public spaces like Morningside park play a central role in creating a common ground for strong communities to reduce violence.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Culture
Immediate Concrete Actions in Tulsa Are a Beacon of Hope for Racial Justice
The Mayor of Tulsa met community activists this week and agreed on specific steps to address police violence and social injustice in the black communities of the city.
TULSA, OK, USA
The Thrilling Rest of the World
Culture
The Monument Men of Nablus, in the West Bank
Restorers and volunteers have united forces to rescue the An-Nasr Mosque in Nablus in the occupied West Bank, where the destruction of cultural heritage goes with impunity
NABLUS
Culture
Football’s New Play to Help African Youth; and Prevent Human Trafficking
Many young African talents fall victim to human trafficking in football; however, ‘the beautiful game’ could be a real game-changer in African cities
LAGOS, NIGERIA
Culture
The Cultural Ambassadors of Bolgatanga, Ghana
In the town of Bolgatanga in northern Ghana, its local museum is part of the curriculum at schools, and students are cultural ambassadors
BOLGATANGA, GHANA
Culture
Hidden Recipes: Inside a Woman’s Culinary Academy in Saudi Arabia
In a male-dominated profession, Rania Moualla is the female force behind the first Saudi Culinary Arts Academy, training male and female chefs and using food as a vehicle for change
AL KHOBAR SAUDI ARABIA
Culture
A Woman Revitalizing the Medina of Tunis: “It’s a Mouthful, but This Is My Raison D’Être”
Social entrepreneur Leila Ben Gacem runs two boutique hotels in the Medina of Tunis, supporting young Tunisians and restoring the old city to its past glory
TUNIS, TUNISIA
Culture
An Address Revolution Could Transform Slums – and Create Jobs
A revolution in city planning that gives an address to households in informal settlements could unlock the potential of their residents and create employment
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
Culture
The Survival of the City of the Dead in Cairo
Volunteers in Cairo are racing against time to preserve the city's historical memory while bulldozers demolish parts of the City of the Dead to construct new highways
CAIRO, EGYPT
Culture
How Ramallah Cares for Its Elderly Citizens
Ramallah, under occupation in the West Bank, faces the same challenges of an aging population as other cities – but has a different solution that transcends generations
RAMALLAH
Culture
The Freerunners of Khan Yunis
This is a story of how two young men, born into occupation and poverty, were able to use their own bodies as tools of liberation – and how, through my work, I was privileged to help them speak to the world.
KHAN YOUNIS
Culture
Resisting the War With the Written Word
Not everything in Yemen is war; in the city of Ta’izz, writers and poets encourage dialogue, understanding and unity through arts
TAIZZ, YEMEN
Culture
Families Find Ways Around Taliban Restrictions on Girls’ Education
In basements, community spaces, and online, some girls are finding safe places to continue their education in Kabul, Kandahar, and across Afghanistan
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
Culture
A Bookshop “To Keep People’s Sanity” in East Jerusalem
Bookshop owner, Mahmoud Muna, on creating a safe place of discomfort invested in Palestinian culture as a way to define a new future in East Jerusalem
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL
Culture
Reclaiming Public Libraries for the People of Nairobi
A new generation of literacy activists are decolonizing public libraries in Nairobi – from the space to the language represented on its shelves
NAIROBI, KENYA
Culture
Urban Shamanism, Ancestral Wisdom for Dwellers of Everyday Life
Espacio Circulante is a place conjured up by women of various gender identities, who practice shamanism and urban healing in Valparaiso, Chile
VALPARAíSO, CHILE
Culture
The Streets of Kissy Neighborhood in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Are Female
How a group of women in Freetown refuses to be silenced after sunset and expands women’s rights to fully participate in society in Sierra Leone
FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE
Culture
“Virgin Whores” Voices Domestic Violence
The misuse of religion is central to the practice of Claudia Barbera that is both artwork and a ritual against domestic violence in her city and beyond
VALPARAíSO, CHILE
Culture
Standuperras! The Revolt of Live Comedy in Mexico City
As the fight over women’s rights rages on in Mexico, the activist Cynthia Híjar draws upon feminist standup comedy in the big city
MEXICO CITY, CDMX, MEXICO
Culture
Bangkok’s Refusal to Be Automatized by Delivery Apps
How delivery riders in Bangkok have ditched algorithms for the human touch of an alternative system.
BANGKOK, THAILAND
Culture
Who Is Banu Pekol? Championing Heritage in Urban Development for Peacebuilding in Istanbul
Banu Pekol’s devotion to peacebuilding takes a nontraditional approach: the safeguarding of multicultural heritage to mend historical wounds among urban communities. She believes the lack of respect towards heritage in urban development reveals the cities’ approach to individual freedoms.
İSTANBUL, TURKEY
Culture
Curtain Up! Women in Rabat Use Theater for Freedom. Sexuality Proved Problematic
In Rabat, Théâtre Aquarium creates a space to stimulate unprecedented public debates on female freedom and support a sexual revolution which is otherwise happening underground.
RABAT, MOROCCO
Culture
Shades of Hope: Collective Action to Heal and Restore Beirut
2 friends, 200 volunteers, 817 homes restored in Beirut so far. The initiative Bebw’shebbek has found an alternative expression to unfold in a scarred urban landscape and induce hope.
BEIRUT, LEBANON
Culture
Super Chefs Step in for Working Women in Cairo
Super Chefs are a group of women in Cairo, whose passion for cooking has found a way to stay employed while saving time for other working mothers. The idea is here to stay.
CAIRO, EGYPT
Culture
A Jazz Corner to Find the Beat in Havana
Over the years the jazz dancers of Santa Amalia have forged a dancing community in their neighbourhood that has become a philosophy of life in Havana.
HAVANA, CUBA
Culture
What South African Paralegals Can Teach to Make Human Rights True to People
In South African cities a long tradition of community-based paralegal offices operating from garages, churches, and schools provide equal access to justice and real hope to thrive in low-income neighbourhoods.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
Culture
Yallah Cairo Girls! A Women’s Empowerment Cycle Is Set in Motion
A group of bold and strong women called the Cycling Geckos are on their bikes through Cairo to break social barriers, which prevent other women from achieving their full potential. They fight for a cultural change to redesign Cairo’s human landscape towards women.
CAIRO, EGYPT
Culture
Independent and Led by Women, Cinema Akil Renders a Modern Dubai City
The programming at Cinema Akil is meticulously chosen by a strong feminist voice, which uses the impact of media culture to raise awareness on Dubai’s society about worldwide critical issues and human values.
DUBAI - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Culture
Safetipin Empowers Women to Create Safe Public Spaces
Women in New Delhi are sharing their feelings of insecurity at particular public spaces. Key urban stakeholders are listening to improve safety conditions in the city.
NEW DELHI, DELHI, INDIA
Culture
Street Artists Spearhead a Cultural Transition in Muscat
Abdulmalik Sultan Al Maskari, one of Oman’s most recognisable graffiti artist, has been finding legal ways to pursue his passion for street art, which has always been prohibited in public spaces in Muscat. By painting in legal spaces like old busses and old houses he and other street artists are slowly unleashing the street art ...
MUSCAT, OMAN
Culture
Alserkal Avenue: Art and Culture Inspire Future Citizens of Dubai
‘Not all who wander are lost’, reads the display with the maps of the Alserkal Avenue located in Al Quoz neighbourhood in Dubai. Alserkal Avenue was an industrial area that has been converted in 2007 into a cultural district of contemporary art galleries, creative businesses and non-profit organizations spread across 500,000 square feet. Here you ...
DUBAI - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Culture
Punk and Fresh Cooking for a Resilient City: Food not Bombs
‘The Rebel Riot’ is not just a local punk band with politically charged songs, dealing with human right violations. Expressing themselves through music is not enough. This band mobilizes a whole punk community to cook fresh food and distribute it to homeless people every week in Yangon (Myanmar), a movement called ‘Food Not Bombs’. They ...
YANGON, MYANMAR (BURMA)
Culture
A Library on Wheels to Encourage the Culture of Reading in the City
Ali Al-Moussawi’s passion for books goes beyond reading. He has developed the first city library on wheels in Baghdad. His main goal is to revive a love for books and to encourage the culture of reading in the city. Baghdad, once the literary and cultural capital of the Muslim world, is now better known for bombs than poems: “With ...
BAGHDAD, IRAQ
