Skills

Very often, it’s not the hard facts that keep projects going and decide over an initiative’s success. It’s a person’s passion and skill set that helps with dealing with opposition, convincing stakeholders, starting a constructive dialogue with citizens, getting political attention, or gathering a crowd around your idea. But what are those skills and tools you need to get the ball rolling? In this section, we want to take a closer look at the soft skills that CityChangers need in their day-to-day life, be it in exemplary articles or skill sessions with insights from leaders in the field.

In the spotlight

Changing Behaviour

Collaboration

Advocacy: Getting people on board

How to Advocate for Urban Agriculture

How do we unlock urban agriculture’s potential? By improving policies, spreading knowledge, and implementing a supportive network. This is the work of European Forum on Urban Agriculture, an EU project determined to help urban agriculture reach its potential. So,...

How to Gain Stakeholder Support for Cycling Policies: A Trending Technique

We’ve all heard of the terms ‘public participation’ and ‘stakeholder engagement’, but what do they really mean? How can you actually persuade someone adamantly against cycling policies to change their mind? Here’s an alternative approach which is winning cycling-sceptics...

Green Gentrification: Why, How & Who?

Lately, it seems ‘climate justice’, ‘eco-gentrification’, and ‘green gentrification’ are the most used terms in the realm of sustainability. Whatever the phrase, gentrification is not an easy matter for discussion. Why that is the case, its consequences, and how...

Communication & Leadership

CityChanger Hanah Lahe: Healing Political Divides to Unite Citizens in Climate Action

In ageing societies like Europe, young people have little of the political power needed to influence decisions that impact their lives. As a group...

CityChanger Katharina Schätz: How Positive Energy & Fighting Fear Enable Change-Making

In the world of sustainability, there’s an assumption that we all want the same change. Even for those of us who share this mindset,...

CityChanger Miriam Staley: Presenting Masterclass

CityChangers have the know-how, stress-tested projects, and innovative policy ideas worth shouting about, but it takes more than being an expert to influence our...

Participation

Urban Design Lessons We Must Learn from Communities in the Global South

Implementing spatial changes that benefit citizens isn’t a straightforward process. In many cities, there’s not a process for it at all! Or is there?...

Maptionnaire: A Smart Lesson in Democratising Engagement the Fun Way

Public participation matters. It brings democracy and diverse perspectives to city design. But it can be difficult to get right. Smart technology hands us...

CityChanger Luca Ballarini: Empowering People Through City Imaging

When Luca Ballarini came up with the idea of ‘city imaging’, he didn’t yet know the impact it could have. Within less than a...

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