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The Social Life of Cities: stories about urban

innovation (/blog/post/th
social-ow/)

(/blog/post/T
Future-of-
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Communities

(/blog/post/th
social-ow/)

Nicola Bacon and Saffron Woodcraft set out why it matters that we pay more
attention to the way that individuals and communities are shaping their cities, a
why this is the focus of the rst publication from the Social Life of Cities (/page/
life-cities/) collaborative, tenstories of urban innovation from cities across the w
(/publication/Social_Life_of_Cities_stories/)

What is it like to live in a particular city if you are six or sixty, a long-term resident,
unemployed or homeless? How can understanding community dynamics and the
history of a place shed light on why one neighbourhood struggles and another th
What are the implications of the starkly uneven distribution of power and resourc
our cities?
These are the questions that often don't make it into debates about urban policy, y
they are exactly the kinds of questions that prompt new ways of thinking about th
challenges that cities face. The answers to these questions often lie in the detail o
urban residents, and communities, get by, deal with change, and take action to im
their lives and challenge what they don't like.

To highlight the energy and creativity that drives neighbourhood life in cities, Soc
(/) has published a collection of essays (/publication/Social_Life_of_Cities_storie
about city life. We believe that looking at a high street, a neighbourhood park, or a
caf can tell us much about the health and resilience of a community. Everyday lif
city streets and neighbourhoods gives us a perspective on cities, social change an
radical variety of urban life, that is dramatically different to conceptualising a city
intelligent network, an economic system, or a conglomeration of different
infrastructure.

This is the rst publication from the Social Life of Cities collaborative (/page/soci
cities/), a partnership between Social Life, Cisco and the Young Foundation. Our
city partners are Malm (/project/Placemaking-and-Innovation-in-Malmo/) and
Chicago (/project/tatv/). Through research, practical projects, and dialogues with
communities and institutions in different cities, we are looking at new, small-scale
citizen-led approaches to innovation from around the world.

Our collection (/media/les/Social_Life_of_Cities_-

_stories_about_urban_innovation.pdf) of stories - rst serialised on Urban Times
(http://urbantimes.co/section/social-life-of-cities/) - opens up street views on ur
innovation. Douglas Cochrane looks at the experience of Nakuru
(http://urbantimes.co/magazine/2013/06/african-cities-the-experience-of-the-2
century-city-nakuru-kenya/) in Kenya where activism has evolved out of necessit
the young people's cooperative Hope and Vision, at rst refused loans from banks
micro-nance agencies, has now been named best Youth Cooperative in Kenya by
Kenyan government. Lucia Caistor tells us about protest against the demolition of
neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires (http://urbantimes.co/magazine/2013/08/losing
plot-in-buenos-aires/). Maryanna Abdo explores new models for educating childr
living in poverty in Mumbai (http://urbantimes.co/magazine/2013/09/a-different
of-schooling-is-paving-the-way-in-mumbai/). Marisa Novara reports on placema
in Chicago (http://urbantimes.co/magazine/2013/07/what-chicagolands-commu
leaders-taught-us-about-the-space-in-between-chicago-usa/). Bjarne Stenquist
documents Malm City (http://urbantimes.co/magazine/2013/07/large-scale-soc
innovation-the-case-of-tower-block-regeneration-malmo-sweden/)'s work deve
new ways of thinking about regenerating Sweden's suburbs. Zoe Spiliopolou tells
about how Athens (http://urbantimes.co/magazine/2013/06/athens-social-unity
through-urban-crisis/)' community institutions and markets are holding commun
together in a time of austerity and political crisis. So Jung Rim reports on ourishi
social enterprises and cooperatives in Seoul
(http://urbantimes.co/magazine/2013/06/from-gangnam-style-to-sungmisan-st
creating-village-communities-in-south-korea/) neighbourhoods, and Martin Ste
Weeks explores how digital technology is supporting Sydney
(http://urbantimes.co/magazine/2013/06/yes-but-where-are-all-the-people-syd
australia/)'s local social life. Tricia Hackett reports from Medellin
(http://urbantimes.co/magazine/2013/07/at-the-forefront-of-social-innovation-
latin-america-colombia/), and Johan Olivier from Magaliesburg
(http://urbantimes.co/magazine/2013/08/opening-the-box-on-magaliesburg/)
Africa.

Our authors come from a wide range of backgrounds: some are at the frontline ru
projects, some work in NGOs and public agencies, others are researchers investig
urban change, but what brings these essays together is a shared focus on creative
responses to tackling social needs that are about understanding the challenges of
places and real lives.
 For years urban policy and strategy has been dominated by thinking about the ph
city: landmark architecture, transport, housing, urban development, green techno
and new digital tech. While social issues like health, education, employment and p
safety matter greatly to city leaders, policy and public services deal with people in
abstract rather than the particular. As a result the outcomes of their plans often di
from reality in unpredictable and unintended ways.

We believe that cities must pay more attention to their very local social life: ordina
small-scale and often mundane aspects of urban existence. Our stories of urban
innovation have been assembled to provide inspiration and ideas about how to do
and where to begin to look.

Our work is about the relationship between people and places twitter feed
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