It Takes a Village to Shape a City — PWE26 Wrocław’s Themes
Cities are shaped by many hands – planners, architects, policymakers, organisations, and, most importantly, residents. The most vibrant, resilient, and meaningful urban environments do not emerge from top-down decisions alone, […]
Building Belonging — PWE26 Wrocław’s Themes
When facing rapid changes across Europe and beyond, cities are confronted with a shared question: how do we create places where people not only live, but genuinely feel they belong? […]
Finding Warmth in Winter: What Fenix Plein Taught Me About Public Space
As we venture into spring, I can’t help but feel grateful for one place I sought comfort in during Rotterdam’s cold and wet winters, a season that often discourages me […]
The metrics and the place: lessons from Mexico City
Every time I return to Mexico City, I leave with the same renewed question: the city for whom? It is an old debate, but in CDMX it feels urgent and […]
A Quiet Rebellion – Berlin’s Kiezblocks
In neighbourhoods across Berlin, a quiet rebellion is unfolding in the form of Kiezblocks (or “neighbourhood blocks”). What began as a grassroots response to political inertia and rat-running cars has […]
Trenčín: The City as a Stage
Glimpses from the Trenčín 2026 opening weekend Last weekend, I had the pleasure of taking part in the opening week celebrating Trenčín as the European Capital of Culture for 2026. […]
Studying Kraków While Living in It as an Urban Life & Placemaking Student
For one week, I took over the Placemaking Europe Instagram from Kraków, the city I temporarily called home. I’m Jill, a 22-year-old student from the Netherlands, studying International Event Management with […]
The Feminist Placemaking Program of “The Gendered City”
Picture of Mara Arten for The Gendered City The Feminist Placemaking Program is a global-first initiative designed to dismantle the “neutral” city and reconstruct it through a lens of equity, […]
Placemaking Europe Year in Retrospect – 2025 Edition
Introduction From its very first inception at the global Placemaking Week in Amsterdam in 2017, Placemaking Europe’s mission has been to build capacity, strengthen connections and amplify the voices of […]
Instagram Takeover: Exploring Helsinki with Päivi Raivio – from Rocks to Welcoming Winter Spaces
During her Instagram takeover, Päivi Raivio guided us through the places, stories, and events that make Helsinki vibrant, engaging, and full of character. We visited her favorite spots, explored the […]
