About OCP
What conditions and proposals are needed for resilient public futures of open cities that are (more) inclusive, transparent, safe, free, equal, healthy, sustainable and nurturing?
Several complex challenges are emerging in cities: (de)industrialisation, bureaucratisation, gentrification and segregation, but also algorithmisation, datafication, energy transitions and climate change. These processes have different implications for the readiness for action and resilience of social groups to adapt to new situations. Some groups will struggle to respond well to the reduced publicness associated with urban transformations. What is engaged urban "openness"? How are contemporary societies in the South and North transforming in response to various local and global developments? How do we ensure the proper development and co-creation of a resilient public future?
To find answers, we bring together academic, cultural-institutional and civic networks from the Netherlands, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean to compare and contrast current engagements shaped by colonial, post-colonial, decolonial and other geopolitical and socio-cultural realities.
Open Cities' unique focus lies in the joint development and deployment of creative methods for collaborative approaches to design proposals for more equitable and resilient urban transformations.
We are an interdisciplinary community that brings together different academic disciplines, cultural institutions and civic initiatives to effectively respond to and engage with contemporary urban tensions, challenges and opportunities.
Interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and collaborative design activities, in the form of social labs, involving academic, cultural-institutional and civil society partners, are central to our approach. We encourage collaborative projects that address these challenges and provide opportunities for a resilient public future.
