---
title: Civil Society
type: taxonomy_archive
taxonomy: post_tag
slug: civil-society
term_id: 378
permalink: "https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/tag/civil-society/"
post_count: 35
---

# Civil Society

Posts in this archive: 35

- [Cultural Resilience: Three ways Kyiv is supporting culture during conflict](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/cultural-resilience-three-ways-kyiv-is-supporting-culture-during-conflict.md)
- [A Place Becoming: Anchoring community amid urban change in Oslo](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/oslo-mortensrud-anchoring-communities-with-art-amid-urban-change.md) — As Oslo grows rapidly, the city’s public art strategy ensures new developments reflect the identity and voices of existing communities.  In Mortensrud, for instance, artists collaborated with residents to embed local histories into redevelopment.  Projects such as Last Station Mortensrud and Together We Can Move Mountains use photography, performance, and digital art to honour everyday life and lost landmarks. The approach fosters dialogue, preserves memory, and places cultural heritage at the centre of urban change.
- [How São Paulo’s Spcine Circuit is transforming cultural access through public cinemas](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/spcine-circuit-public-cinemas-sao-paulo.md) — Launched in 2016, the Spcine Circuit has become one of Brazil’s most significant public cinema networks, transforming São Paulo’s cultural infrastructure and making access to film a civic right. With 32 public cinema rooms across 27 educational and cultural centres, the initiative brings free or low-cost cinema to underserved regions of the city—strengthening local identity, stimulating the audiovisual economy, and advancing cultural inclusion.
- [Revitalising Cultural Heriatage: Taipei’s Old House Cultural Movement Project ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/taipei-old-house-cultural-movement-project.md) — Launched in 2013, Taipei’s Old House Cultural Movement Project is a pioneering public–private platform revitalising derelict cultural heritage sites through corporate investment and creative reuse. By offering rent discounts and tax exemptions linked to restoration work, the city incentivises long-term stewardship. With over USD 21 million in private investment by 2024, restored sites now house bookstores, theatres, creative hubs, and wellness centres, preserving heritage while integrating it into vibrant contemporary life.
- [Cultural District Policy: Driving Austin’s equitable urban development ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/cultural-district-policy.md) — The City of Austin’s Economic and Cultural District Framework Policy was developed in 2024 to formalise and support the sustainability of cultural districts across the city. Focused on preserving cultural identity while fostering economic vitality, the policy provides a structured approach for designating and resourcing cultural and economic districts. It aligns with Austin’s broader cultural policy goals—emphasising equity, authenticity, and community engagement in place-based development.
- [One Dublin, One Book brings the city together through literature](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/one-dublin-one-book-2.md) — Every April since 2005, Dublin residents have been encouraged to read the same book either written by a Dubliner or connected with the capital city, through the One Dublin, One Book campaign. To mark the 20th year of this mass cultural participation event, Dublin City Council and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature commissioned an anthology of 22 poets and writers to capture Dublin in the first quarter of the century.
- [Honouring the Dead: Community-led remembrance in the heart of Brussels  ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/dia-de-muertos-in-brussels-cultural-participation-2.md) — Día de Muertos in Marolles is a community-driven festival in Brussels that blends Mexican tradition with local creativity to honour the dead through inclusive public rituals. Supported by the City of Brussels, it features workshops, concerts, and a large public altar, fostering cultural participation and social cohesion. The event exemplifies how cultural infrastructure can support access for all and strengthen collective memory through vibrant, community-led cultural exchange.
- [What makes Minnesota Street Project a solution to San Francisco's property costs?](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/san-frrancisco-minnesota-street-project.md) — The City of San Francisco needed to address the challenges faced by artists and art organisations due to the booming property market, emphasising the urgent need to prevent artists from being priced out of the city. The solution? A privately funded model of affordable gallery and studio space for local artists
- [Design thinking shapes the future of İstanbul's neighbourhoods](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/tak-kartal.md) — Tasarım Atolyesi Kartal (‘Design Atelier Kartal’– abbreviated as TAK Kartal) is a creative innovation space that brings together Kartal residents, designers, volunteers, students and supporters to collaboratively create ideas and products for the public good, finding solutions that can improve the quality of life in Kartal
- [Can 'Wake the Lake' reawaken Bengalaru's dying lakes?](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/lake-rejuvenation-united-way-of-bangalore-wake-the-lake.md) — Wake the Lake is a flagship campaign to revive the dying lakes of Bengaluru. The campaign is a strong demonstration of collaboration between civic bodies, corporates and citizens for the larger good.
- [Vancouver's creative resistance: how the city is fighting artistic displacement](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/implement-cultural-space-targets.md) — Making Space for Arts and Culture set out a 10-year target to secure 650,000 sq. ft. of new arts
and cultural space to address the alarming rate of displacement faced by the sector.
- [Leaving no on behind: Kyiv's path to accessible cultural institutions](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/nclusivity-of-cultural-institutions-a-space-of-equal-opportunities.md) — The issue of inclusive space is equally important for every society. However, for Ukraine, it has become acutely important due to the full-scale war, as the percentage of people with disabilities in the country is constantly growing.
- [The art of participation: 'Creative December' and its evolving role in Shenzhen](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/creative-december.md) — Creative December has become an important cultural festival for Shenzhen citizens.
- [Artists and activists: the beating heart of Chicago's 'Together We Heal' initiative](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/together-we-heal-creative-place-program.md) — In fall of 2020, the Office of Equity and Racial Justice (OERJ) launched Together We Heal, a journey toward
building racial healing and transformation through policy and culture change.
- [Who tells the story? Chicago changes the landscape of memory](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/chicago-chicago-monuments-project.md) — Chicago recognized the need for a larger reckoning with monuments that symbolize outdated values and
that do not tell the story, or the full story, of the city's history.
- [Montréal's hyperlocal cultural policy keeps an eye on the big picture](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/cultural-neighbourhoods.md)
- [​How Montréal's department of culture tackled pandemic isolation](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/nos-maisons-our-homes.md) — Montréal's Department of Culture wanted to find a safe and creative way to bring citizens together and create spaces for collaboration and resource exchange between local government, artists and arts organizations, and the City's population who were confined to their homes.
- [From dusk till dawn: expanding London's Night Time Enterprise Zone model](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/london-night-time-enterprise-zone-pilot-project.md) — Night Time Enterprise Zones are designed to support and grow the night time economy on local high streets or in town centres. In 2019, London Night Time Commission called for a Night Time Enterprise Zone fund for LOCAL boroughs AND a pilot project was launched by the Mayor of London which is now being expanded.
- [How Lisbon's festival of politics bridges the gap between arts and politics](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/lisbon-festival-of-politicslisbon.md) — The Festival of Politics is a two day programme of debates, workshops, films, art, music and children’s activities, aimed at increasing political engagement, as well as encouraging social change and critical thinking.
- [Graffiti to gallery: Paris feeds young minds with 'Art to Grow Up'](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/paris-art-to-grow-up.md) — A priority for the City of Paris is to support cultural access for all from an early age. Thirteen years ago, the City, in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Department of School Affairs, developed the “Art to Grow Up programme”.
- [Culture without boundaries: 'Virada Cultural' extends to the fringes of São Paulo](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/sao-paulo-virada-cultural.md) — The Covid-19 pandemic amplified the inequity of access to cultural provision, with the closure of venues, reduced mobility around the city, and unequal access to digital platforms. The municipality saw the return of major festivals in-person in 2022 as an opportunity to drive cultural engagement and widen access to culture in the city.
- [One Tokyo, many voices: empowering equality and diversity in culture](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/tokyo-creative-well-being-project.md) — Tokyo has a rich cultural offer, but this has not always been easy to access for some diverse, disabled and otherwise marginalised inhabitants of the city. Therefore since 2021, the Creative Well-being Tokyo project has worked towards embedding better inclusion strategies at its cultural institutions.
- [Cultural catalyst: Warsaw empowers NGO's for social change](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/cultural-catalysts-how-warsaw-empowers-ngos-for-social-change.md) — In 2018 the City of Warsaw announced an open competition for NGOs to address social issues through culture.
- [How Dublin is shaping its civic soul through cultural engagement](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/culture-connects-dublins-community-created-outlets.md) — Making cultural offerings appealing and more accessible to residents to  ensure engagement and ongoing participation.
- [How a research centre in Buenos Aires is connecting technology and artists](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/latin-american-centre-for-experimental-hypermedia-chela.md) — Buenos Aires has created an innovative cultural infrastructure to support its multimedia and digital artists. 
- [Why 'Mala do Livro' is revolutionising reading and building communities in Brasília](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/mala-do-livro-book-bag-micro-libraries-project.md) — The city of Brasilia is increasing reading opportunities and empowering communities by bringing micro-libraries to city neighbourhoods.
- [Dublin's international literary award: how a global network of 400 libraries contributes](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/dublin-literary-award-establishing-an-international-network.md) — Dublin's Literary Award is enabling global participation, not just for authors and audiences but for libraries too.
- [Preserving heritage: communities in San Francisco their cultural identities](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/the-cultural-districts-initiative-2.md) — Communities are collaborating with the City to help preserve the cultural and social fabric of San Francisco's historic neighbourhoods.
- [Dementia friendly London: a game-changer for vulnerable residents](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/dementia-friendly-venues-charter.md) — The Mayor of London and the Alzheimer's Society launched the FIRST Dementia Friendly London initiative. The goal is to make London the world's first dementia-friendly capital city.
- [How a citizen-led project reconnects Lisbon's elderly with their communities](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/neighbourhood-lives-and-memories.md) — Reducing isolation and loneliness among the elderly population whilst gathering the history and memories of the city's older generation.
- [Music for peace: İstanbul's inclusive choir inspires harmony among youth](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/together-stronger-voices-choir-i.md) — Establishing a fully inclusive choir workshop experience for disadvantaged children and young people living in Istanbul.
- [Historic districts to open-air museums: how Hong Kong infused design into daily life](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/design-district-hong-kong.md) — Creativity is flourishing in the city of Hong Kong, and it has recently contributed to diversifying the city's tourism offerings. Presented by the Tourism Commission of Hong Kong and organized by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), the three-year creative tourism project 'Design District Hong Kong #ddHK' was launched in 2018.
- [From Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to The Marriage of Figaro: dementia-friendly performances in Edinburgh](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/forget-me-not-dementia-friendly-communities-project.md) — Edinburgh is opening hearts and minds by creating a supportive performance environment for audiences living with dementia.
- [A look at how a Brazilian orchestra is bringing harmony to hospitals](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/health-concerts.md) — To alleviate the stress associated with hospital visits and improve wellbeing, live music is being brought to the hospitals of Brasília.
- [RIO DE JANEIRO JOINS WORLD CITIES CULTURE FORUM](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/rio-de-janeiro-joins-world-cities-culture-forum.md) — Famous for its street art, samba schools and hosting the largest carnival in the world, Rio de Janeiro is joining World Cities Culture Forum.