Governance
In a War-Torn City, a Yemeni Woman Fights for Stray Animals
Maha Al-Dhabhani established a shelter for stray dogs and cats in her city, Sanaa, Yemen, despite being comforted by criticism that aid should prioritize people
SANAA, YEMEN
Europe
Governance
The Council of Good Men
The Council of Good Men has the legal authority to resolve disputes inside the Huerta de Murcia, a vast urban ecosystem that feeds Spain and Europe — but now it is time to use its power to protect it
MURCIA, SPAIN
Governance
An Erotic Night in Barcelona: At House of ERIKA LUST
As people become increasingly disheartened by sex and dating apps, House of ERIKA LUST in Barcelona invites to explore sexuality through virtual reality, art, and storytelling
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Governance
Françoise Schein: The Most Public, Yet Unknown Urban Artist
Artist Françoise Schein reflects on her lifelong mission to raise consciousness about human rights – in the subway, at parks and on walls in cities worldwide
PARIS, FRANCE
Governance
Mini-München, the City Run by Kids
Forty years after Mini-München was created, it continues to inspire children to engage in and shape the city they want
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Why We Should Dance in the Streets
Alice Chauchat’s dance repertoire for strangers in the public space creates a sense of togetherness – and suggests a future society that we can imagine and practice
BERLIN, GERMANY
Governance
Families of Victims Revolt Against Organized Crime
Activist and academic Fabrice Rizzoli, and victims’ families in cities like Marseille, speak out to halt drug-related violence. Meanwhile, governments seize and repurpose gang members’ assets
MARSEILLE, FRANCE
Governance
Billboards: A Sanctuary for a United Public
Gretta Louw’s “Conscious Commons” questions the use of public spaces for commercial purposes, arguing that it should draw people’s attention for a better world instead
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Soho London’s Dreary Battle: A Chain Supermarket or a Premium Office
Redevelopment efforts by private landowners in London’s edgy Soho are so damaging that the survival of a Tesco chain supermarket has become activists’ latest cause
LONDON, UK
Governance
What Happens in the Halls of the Hague, Doesn’t Stay in the Hague
In one Dutch city, tracking lobbying that would otherwise remain mostly undisclosed shows how much better policies could be in the whole country
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
Governance
Can Art Save Local Communities?
Despite urban renewal becoming an unbeatable adversary, artist Ed Gray’s work succeeds in helping communities to uphold their local value in London
LONDON, UK
Governance
The Displacement of Local Businesses in London: The Inside Story
What Michael Clinkett’s sobering journey to save his local business from displacement in London teaches us about our future cities
LONDON, UK
Governance
A Movement to “Humanise” Our Buildings, Our Cities
Thomas Heatherwick’s campaign ‘Humanise’ urges a public conversation on boring buildings that are “inhuman” and so depressing that “make us malfunction”
LONDON, UK
Governance
‘Art Kiosks’ Revive Life in Munich’s Subway
How neglected kiosks in Munich’s subway mezzanines became vibrant art spaces that can be an eye-opening experience in people’s everyday life
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Artist Tamiko Thiel: “Augmented Reality Will Be the Street Art of This Century”
Tamiko Thiel is one of the pioneers of the augmented reality art scene of this century and has captured artists’ imagination as harbinger of a new activism
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
A Listening Room in Munich for a Restless Urban Society
As productivity-free conversations in cities are dwindling, people need ‘third places’ for communication and listening like the Zuhörraum in Munich
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
The Power of City Archives to Inform the Present, and Shape the Future
A group of researchers navigating city archives are opening a more inclusive past to a broader public to build the cities of the future
PARIS, FRANCE
Governance
Meet the Man Publicly Defying Urban Regeneration in Southwark, London
Nicholas Okwulu on urban regeneration and “giving local people an opportunity to be part of something that they thought was too far away”
LONDON, UK
Governance
A Rebellious Artist Collective Galvanises Madrileños
Jo Muñoz and Diego Peris’ work has been crucial to citizen activism in Madrid – their last intervention stirs consciousness about migration.
MADRID, SPAIN
Governance
The ‘Olympic Legacy’ in Cities and the Right of Parisians to Irreverence
Residents in Northern Paris are fighting to prevent an ‘Olympic Legacy’ that has repeatedly failed people in cities. Will the city's 2024 Games be any different?
PARIS, FRANCE
Governance
Museum Folkwang Curates the City to Find Common Ground for Its Future
Could a museum change a city? This museum of contemporary art invites urban dwellers to rediscover their city together, break barriers and reconnect outside the institution.
ESSEN, GERMANY
Governance
Swimming in a UNESCO World Heritage Area? Well, It’s Berlin!
The revitalization of the river in Berlin challenges the top-down creation and interpretation of urban heritage in the city's historical centre.
BERLIN, GERMANY
Governance
A Democratic View of the Acropolis Hinders High Buildings in Athens
Zoning laws in cities that prevent high-density buildings are controversial. In Athens, the battle of its residents and the Acropolis set the tone.
ATHENS, GREECE
Governance
The Sidewalk Evolves Into a Living Room in Amsterdam
The initiative 'De BuurtBankjes' is shaping the sidewalk experience. Chatty couples to street kids, refugees to yuppies and expats to bubbly grannys. These connections happen on couches outside homes in Amsterdam. In New York in stoops.
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Governance
Urbanists or Environmental Activists. The Odyssey of the Superblocks
Increasingly, more activist voices are advocating to reconsider the superblocks in Barcelona. Initially planned as a project of great urban transformation, it threatens to result in a giant greenwashing operation.
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Governance
Pioneering a Circular City. At Haus Der Statistik Nothing Is Wasted
In Berlin grassroots initiatives and municipality are masterminding a town hall of the future in a pioneer quarter to decouple the city's economic growth from environmental impacts, in addition to an avant-garde cultural approach.
BERLIN, GERMANY
Governance
An Urban Garden Brings New Life to Berlin Cemeteries
In Berlin urban garden pioneers have spotted the potential of increasing idle space at cemeteries to foster sustainability and fulfill the purpose of remembrance.
BERLIN, GERMANY
Governance
A Green Strip Full of Potential. Creatives in Turin Reclaim Their City
Luca Ballarini, and the collective Torino Stratosferica, turned an abandoned tramway into a park to demonstrate the potential of Turin and project the city into a sustainable future.
TURIN, ITALY
Governance
Night Mayor on a Mission. Because the Night Belongs to All
The Night Mayor in Amsterdam is leading nightclubs through change against homophobic, sexist and racist overtones to advance diversity and inclusivity in the city.
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Governance
A City Comes to Terms With Death. Long Live the City!
A small city in Northern Spain has helped citizens to overcome their reluctance to talk about dying and heal a disconnected society from the end of life. Can death revitalize the city?
LOGROñO, SPAIN
Governance
How a Vintage Bench in Munich Revives the Power of Listening
‘Bankerl’ is a film project for the public, which praises conversations between strangers. Interviews with passers-by provide insights into individual life situations and reveal the overall mood across the city.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Urban Poetics – Consider This a Love Letter to Public Space
A poetic and provocative campaign by Gretta Louw challenges urban dwellers to reflect on the nature of the public sphere. A reflection of how the health of our democracies is linked to the health of our public spaces.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Daring to Breakdance: Youngsters Belong to the Streets
Breakdance kept Aloun Phetnoi Ferzandis out of trouble. But not off the streets, rather breakdance granted him an identity and sense of belonging to the city.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Scavenger Hunt in Munich: Kids Active Play Is Back on the Streets
The city of Munich is challenging the ways in which children could connect with the streets independently. The interactive game kreuz & quer is reclaiming the lost art of playing outside.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Sacred Activism in Munich: Reinventing Churches in Cities
The role of religious buildings can’t be underestimated in our urban landscape. The connections between them and the city are undeniable.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Students in Munich Reveal the Importance of Sunlight in Cities
Urban planning often underestimates sunlight in cities. Two students in Munich fought for their right to light.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Citizen Collaboration in Barcelona Stands Up for a Safe City
BCN Helpers is a twitter account for citizen collaboration in Barcelona, which maps in real time criminal offences on the streets to make the city safe.
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Governance
A New Public Private Relationship at Public Space Endorses Access to Culture
Two brothers, one dream. Julian and Daniel Hahn are the masterminds behind the transformation of unused public space in Munich into dreamy places.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
A Silent Festival Supports Local Talent at Portobello Road
In diverse neighbourhoods lies a wellspring of creativity and urban identity that make cities thrive. At Portobello Road silent technology is an effective way to content all citizens.
LONDON, UK
Governance
Nomadic Gardens Puts Meanwhile Space to Good Use
You have an obligation to feel good at Nomadic Gardens. People grow food, create art and share skills. It is quite a community space out of the straightjacket of conventional urbanism.
LONDON, UK
Governance
‘Wohnstrasse’: Taking Ownership of the Streets in Vienna
The initiative ‘WIEN LEBT…auf der Wohnstrasse’ is unique. We’ve been living in the city for years, however it wasn’t until recently that we discover the potential that some streets in Vienna have to offer. They are called Wohnstrassen; literally translated in English ‘residential streets’. They are not regular streets, they are considered by law a ...
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Governance
Addiopizzo: Social Cohesion Defies the Mafia in Palermo
Backed by the willingness of conscious consumers Addiopizzo supports shopkeepers who don't pay extortion money to the Mafia in Palermo.
PALERMO, ITALY
Governance
Car Sharing Frees Up Public Space: The Rise of Placemaking
As more citizens give up car ownership in favour of car sharing, cities are winning back public spaces for citizens, a precious and scarce commodity in cities. One car less in the city, means potentially freeing up 11,5 square meters of public space from idle parking spaces. This equation creates a great opportunity to the rise ...
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Stadtlesen: A Mobile Reading Room for Culture in Cities
“Reading is the world in the head” is Sebastian Mettler’s motto. He has founded StadtLesen 10 years ago in Austria. Every year StadtLesen travels to many different cities in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. His initiative has given citizens reading enjoyment al fresco in cities with free admission. More than 100 publishers are involved in this ...
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Music Turns Public Space Into a Cultural Climate Benefiting the City
It could have been another city around the world but it happened in Munich. I first encountered Davide Martello in Odeonsplatz, one of the main and crowded squares in Munich. His music turned this public space, once used to spread hate in one of the worst chapters in European history, into a stimulating cultural climate ...
MUNICH, GERMANY
Governance
Reading in Public Spaces Can Foster Interaction in Cities
Cities create encounters. Public spaces play a vital role in fostering interaction in cities. Jose Subero and Paula Colchero, two residents of Amsterdam and the creatives behind Ruilbank, have combined design and reading to promote social interaction at benches in public spaces. Ruilbank is an intervention on Amsterdam public benches meant to create sharing public ...
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
US
Governance
A Long-Standing Business That Helps New York City Shine
Jeff Friedman, the owner of Let There Be Neon, speaks about restoring iconic neon lights in New York – and people’s love for cities’ neon heritage
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Governance
The City of Olympia, Washington: Democracy at Its Best
The Legislative Youth Advisory Council in Washington State illustrates the importance of trusting nonpartisan viewpoints to legislate and find solutions at the local level
OLYMPIA, WA, USA
Governance
Documenters: The Eyes and Ears of US Cities
The Documenters program creates new public records, providing city dwellers full transparency at the local government level and the best that democracy can offer
CHICAGO, IL, USA
Governance
Growing Up in the City: What It Was, What It Can Be Again
Lenore Skenazy, co-founder of Let Grow, reflects on childhood independence and why adults have decided that all children are in constant danger
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Governance
Going Offline to Combat Online Disinformation
Online fakes are creating real-world divisions on the ground. But grassroots approaches seek to combat the ways that disinformation exploits our minds
SEATTLE, WA, USA
Governance
‘Art in Odd Places’: DRESS Transforms Public Space in New York
Incredibly inclusive and rebellious, the takeover of 14th Street in Manhattan by ‘Art in Odd Places’ embraces misfits, free thinkers, and strangers alike to celebrate public space
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Governance
Citizens’ Assemblies Could Be the Art of the Possible
Wayne Liebman, founder of Public Access Democracy in LA, explains citizens’ assemblies and why they "need to be an arrow in democracies’ quiver.”
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA
Governance
His Way or the Highway, Exposing US Cities’ Chronic Problem
‘Segregation by Design’ offers images and maps of racist “urban renewal” in US cities to thousands of followers — but that’s only part of a bigger mission
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Governance
An Education Revolution May Have Already Begun in Philadelphia
Using the city as classroom, Revolution School intends to transform education and “break down the walls between learning and life.”
PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA
Governance
Discovering the Land Under the Plinth
How artist Mercedes Dorame challenges traditional monuments in Los Angeles and demands the return of indigenous land
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA
Governance
“No Need of a Real Estate Deal to Fix Penn Station”: Activists Warn Fellow New Yorkers
A human-scale city or stratospheric urban planning? Such is the ongoing conflict among New Yorkers over the plans for Penn Station. But this fight, claim activists, is another one.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Governance
Science, Art and Museums! Connecting Youth in Custody With Academics
How award-winning women in science and art have created a restorative platform for youth in custody through access to museums.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT, USA
Governance
Innovative Street Lighting Sizes Up Its Transformative Power in Baltimore
The initiative Signal Station North has put together a unique collaboration of neighbours, local artists, designers and nonprofits for street lighting advocacy in Central Baltimore. Exhaustive urban analysis and lighting interventions reveal how to support wellbeing.
BALTIMORE, MD, USA
Governance
Block Crews Disrupt Violence in Brooklyn. No Urban Progress Without Change
We Build The Block, a community-led movement co-founded by Michael K. Williams, Dana Rachlin and Shani Kulture, creates opportunities for youth to hold positions of power and reimagine how public safety is achieved in their neighbourhood.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Governance
Parking Spaces, the Battleground of the Future City
The urban intervention Parasite Parking occupied parking spaces in Chicago and tested the limits of their use. Their privatization years ago led to a loss of agency in the city. What will happen when parking spaces are no longer needed?
CHICAGO, IL, USA
Governance
Rethinking Museums: The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space
The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space in New York offers an empowering alternative approach to the way museums are typically run, through activism, transparency, and direct action that expands beyond conventional exhibitions.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Governance
Papergirl Frees Art in Brooklyn. The Art of Social Change
Last week artworks from over eighty artists worldwide were distributed randomly to people on the streets of New York. It was the culmination of an unconventional public art project to create social engagement and change.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Governance
Play Streets in New York, a Safe Haven Designed to Thrive
In New York the combination of roads closed off to traffic and the need to reduce tensions on the street has a name, Play Streets. Now it's time to revive them.
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Governance
Child-Friendly City Planning: Kids Re-Imagine the City
If you could experience a city from 95cm – the height of a 3-year-old – what would you change? Urban 95 Challenge for a child-friendly city asks this bold but simple question of the world’s city leaders, planners, architects, and innovators. But what about asking kids in the city that very same question? Aminah Ricks, an ...
NEW YORK, NY, USA
The Thrilling Rest of the World
Governance
The Urban Activists of Damascus, at Last
After Assad's fall, residents in Damascus took to the streets to clean up, assist, and rebuild—early signs of a democratic society self-organizing without fear
DAMASCUS, SYRIA
Governance
Protecting Internet Freedom in the City of White Marble
Thanks to an army of volunteers, citizens in Turkmenistan circumvent internet censorship under The Tor Project
ASHGABAT, TURKMENISTAN
Governance
Women Without Weapons: “Rebels With A Cause”
Sexual violence is a weapon of war – yet the unarmed response of Yazidi women in Duhok could change security and peace strategies forever
DUHOK, IRAQ
Governance
If Churches Are Repurposed, as in Housing, Who Should Be the Beneficiary?
“Religious property is actually working against our religious objectives,” says priest activist Graham Singh on his plan for repurposed churches
MONTREAL, QC, CANADA
Governance
Community Youth Parliaments Can Restore Urban Gardens to Kampala
The savvy use of a current bottom-up governance model galvanize people to replant urban gardens in the informal settlements of Kampala
KAMPALA, UGANDA
Governance
‘New World’ Mall in Bangkok Could Finally Be True to Its Name
A community-led initiative revives a contemporary ruin in its quest to fight against the excessive privatization of public space in Bangkok
BANGKOK, THAILAND
Governance
A Kiosk for People Seeking the Truth in Valparaiso
Instead of falling into despair, a newspaper kiosk has been turned into a cultural space to make diverse sources of information accessible to the public
VALPARAíSO, CHILE
Governance
Two Women Changing the Post-Soviet City of Bishkek
Interventions in the public space by Peshcom are without permissions and fewer repercussions. Is this a sign of progress in the post-Soviet city of Bishkek?
BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN
Governance
City to City Cooperation. Could This Model Reset Democracy?
In Kasserine, Tunisia, democracy is flourishing in public space. How is the city of Munich involved?
KASSERINE, TUNISIA
Governance
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
Governance
Female Street Art Defies War in Yemen. No Peace Without Women
Haifa Subay is a Yemeni street artist putting her own life on the line to inspire a culture of peace in her city. Her artwork instigates fellow citizens to immerse themselves in the meaning of social change for peace.
ADEN, YEMEN
