How truly public are our public spaces? In this episode, we take a look at the rise of ‘defensive urbanism’ in our cities and ask what it would take to stop designing people out of public space and start designing them back in.
Featuring: Cara Chellew, Rebecca Rutt, Kenneth Balfelt
Produced...
You’ve been pushing your city to make some changes for years. So, what happens when they suddenly reach across the aisle and give you the reins? We take a look at the Initiative Haus der Statistik – the unlikely story of how a group of activists and artists found...
In our throwaway culture, binning a broken object and buying a replacement is often the easiest, and cheapest, solution. But the take-make-waste economy has serious costs – for the environment and for society.
So, what would the alternative look like? We visit a repair café in Graz, Austria, to understand...
After centuries in charge, men have made a mess of our cities!
Gender bias is present in almost every element of urban planning and design, from mobility networks right down to the way we build houses. So what does it take to dislodge gendered microaggressions from the built environment? How...
Life goes on after the sun goes down, so why should our cities stop?
With more cities around the world creating night offices and appointing night mayors – we take a look at the potential (and the pitfalls) involved in government after dark, and ask who should the night-time really...
‘Resilience’ has become something of a buzzword these days – not just in terms of a desirable personality trait but also something companies and even cities can aspire to. But what does it look like in practice? We travel to Rotterdam to ask: What exactly makes a city resilient?...
Why do we fear failure?
Sustainability is an iterative process. There are no shortcuts. But in a world focussed on success, we often hide from our mistakes.
Recognising this, Gerald Babel-Sutter set out to unite urban change-makers in an environment where they could confidently share their pitfalls, problems, and brick walls.
The...
Elected officials make decisions that affect millions of people, but beyond voting every few years, what say do citizens really have?
Maybe democracy needs a tune-up.
Citizens’ Assemblies – a sort of lottery promising better representation – bring diverse voices to the table.
Copenhagen, Denmark, has already given it a go. People...
How do you go about relocating an entire city?
The community of Swedish city Kiruna has grown up around the biggest local employer - a mine. But as the pit threatens the town above it, there seems little choice but moving the city elsewhere.
It raises a number of questions: what...
How can we ensure that a ‘smart city’ is also a fair, diverse and ethical one?
We talk to Douwe Schmidt from the city of Amsterdam about the thorny issues cities face when implementing technological solutions, and why we can’t leave ethical decision-making to the computers.
Ta-da!
Featuring: Douwe Schmidt, Project Manager...
What would a city designed entirely by children look like? And what could it tell us about the cities we live in now – the good things and the bad?
Academic Christina Ergler’s research into pre-school aged children and the urban environment has some surprising insights for the so-called experts...
Turning big ideas into reality is what CityChangers do.
But what happens when, against the odds, you finally achieve your goal? What next?
Nicholas Marchesi, of charity Orange Sky, launched the world’s first mobile laundry, helping Brisbane's homeless community to wash and dry their clothes. Then he discovered this served a...
One city in Germany takes a unique approach to civic participation.
With declining rates of local democratic engagement around the world, Keil has teamed up with local creatives to try something radical: take their town hall to the people - on wheels!
The Tiny Town Hall (Tiny Rathaus in German) is...
What links pedestrian crossings in Chicago, USA, with the Sydney Opera House in Australia?
Sascha Haselmayer's surprising story provides an unexpected answer to this unusual question, and it's led to positive change in more than 130 cities around the world.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but in this edition of the CityChangers...
Facing their fair share of challenges on the ground (from housing shortages to climate change) cities like Rotterdam are looking skywards for solutions – to the rooftops. There’s plenty of opportunity but also headwinds on the horizon. For one thing: where most roofs are owned by private citizens, how...