How can we make cities better?
That’s the question that CityChangers.org is set up to answer.
And we’re here to give you the tools and knowhow you need to make a difference.
Why the Need for CityChangers.org?
Urban centres face a polycrisis.
The biggies include: housing shortages, economic strain, extreme weather caused by climate change, social inequities, water shortages – or flooding! – food security, extreme heat, land degradation, declining biodiversity, and threats to individual safety. Most of these are systemic problems, baked into the socio-economic processes that govern 21st century society. But the form they take differs at a city and even hyper-local level. Solutions require concentrated effort, and often the cooperation of decision-makers and a wide range of stakeholders.
Knowing that this needs to be done is not enough. We need to work out how.
The best way we can see is to learn from those already doing it.
This is why CityChangers.org brings you the stories of active change-makers: the engaging community initiatives, bold political leaders, risk-taking businesses, passionate activists, and academics at the frontier of the most important challenges of our time.
How We Drive Change
Telling these stories is our way of breaking down sometimes highly complex information and retelling it in a way anyone can understand.
Because, if we’re going to act, we first need to know what we’re talking about.
And the solutions need to be as easy to implement as possible.
Because we write for an audience that shares a mindset, not a professional background.
Yes, we dive a little deeper than other platforms, which might not be to everyone’s taste. But it’s important that we cover enough detail that the main points are covered.
Our articles explore a wide range of topics – all of them relevant to making cities better somewhere. And we’re location-agnostic; although our HQ is based in Graz, Austria, we aim to represent as many global regions as we can. Whether to support region-specific challenges, or because cities have already made significant advances in issues others are only now beginning to encounter.
The answers we write about range from soft skills – such as winning over the nay-sayers – to large infrastructure projects. What most of our articles have in common, however, is to include actionable guidance, whether in terms of community engagement, leadership, awareness-raising, or useful tools.
Origins of CityChangers.org
This is a project of Urban Future, one of Europe’s best-loved conferences for cities.
What started as a small workshop for 50 people in 2016 has grown into the annual “Better Cities Event”, hosted by a different municipality every year.
Urban Future brings dedicated urban practitioners together in person, to exchange their expertise and build a 30,000-strong (and growing) community of change-makers.
But we recognise the need for this kind of knowledge exchange on a global scale. CityChangers.org launched in September 2021 to meet that demand.
You’ll notice a strong focus on the “how to” in our content. First, we want you to enjoy what you see here. Second, we want you to feel empowered to create change.
Got a Story to Tell? Jump Right In
Like activities that improve urban environments, CityChangers.org is no top-down platform.
We actively seek intriguing and insightful stories to tell – and publish a new one weekly – but this is also a space where your contributions are encuraged and valued. It’s YOUR place.
If you have a story to tell, we want to hear from you.
No experience of writing? No problem. We’ll guide and support you.
Email us with your idea. Or visit our contributor’s guide for a little more info.