---
title: Public Realm
type: taxonomy_archive
taxonomy: topic
slug: public-realm
term_id: 59
permalink: "https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/topic/public-realm/"
post_count: 38
---

# Public Realm

Posts in this archive: 38

- [How Chicago embedded equity and worker protection into the city’s cultural policy framework ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/chicago-art-is-labor-campaign.md)
- [How the Chicago Monuments Project is reimagining public memory through equity and art ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/the-chicago-monuments-project.md)
- [Cities Step Forward: How Pedestrianisation is Powering Culture in the Streets ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/pedestrianisation-cultural-tool-inclusive-cities.md) — From Barcelona to Bogotá, cities are embracing the power of pedestrianisation. By turning roads into people-first spaces, they are opening streets to culture, creativity and community life
- [Public Realm](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/report/inclusion-representation-public-realm.md) — Cities worldwide are reshaping monuments, murals and civic spaces to reflect diverse communities, promote cultural inclusion and decolonise public art
- [Night-time Economy](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/report/night-time-economy.md) — From Melbourne to Montréal, cities are recognising that what happens after dark is an integral part of their identity, culture and economy.
- [Ernesto Ottone, Assistant Director General for Culture, UNESCO](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/report/ernesto-ottone-world-cities-culture-report.md) — Foreword from Ernesto Ottone, Assistant Director General for Culture at UNESCO, to the World Cities Culture Report: 5th Edition
- [Inclusive public art empowering unhoused creatives in Austin ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/art-for-all-austin-public-art-initiative-2.md) — Art for All is a public art initiative in Austin led by Raasin in the Sun and the City of Austin, offering paid creative opportunities to unhoused individuals. By transforming public spaces with community-driven murals, the programme promotes an inclusive culture and supports access to social services. Through mentorship, workshops, and storytelling, it fosters connection, skill-building, and financial stability – making public art more accessible for all while enriching Austin’s public realm strategy.
- [Guangzhou Design Week: a global platform for design-led urban and cultural innovation](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/guangzhou-design-week.md) — Founded in 2006, Guangzhou Design Week is one of Asia’s most comprehensive annual design events. Since 2020, its focus has shifted from industrial upgrading to embedding design in public life and urban regeneration. Through partnerships with over 30 countries and global events like Milan Design Week, it plays a key role in cultural diplomacy – positioning Guangzhou as a creative capital and model for cities integrating design into policy and international exchange.
- [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)
- [Participatory Murals: A ‘Name in Every Neighbourhood’ of Milan ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/milan-a-name-in-every-neighbourhood.md)
- [Opening Doors: The app making Oslo’s municipal buildings accessible after-hours to activate cultural volunteering](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/oslonokkelen-after-hours-culture-app.md) — To support community life and volunteer engagement, Oslo is opening up municipal buildings through Oslo Booking and The Oslo Key – digital solutions for reserving and accessing schools and civic venues for culture and the community. The initiative addresses the growing need for free and flexible indoor spaces, removes bureaucratic barriers, and extends access beyond regular opening hours. In 2024 alone, 4.5 million hours of volunteer activity were booked at municipal venues, revitalising underused infrastructure to support inclusive cultural life citywide.
- [Cultural Infrastructure: How Paris integrated a media library and a refugee house](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/james-baldwin-media-library-and-refugee-house-paris.md) — The James-Baldwin Media Library and the Refugee House form a pioneering dual institution located in the former Jean-Quarré High School in Paris’s 19th arrondissement. Designed to serve both local residents and newcomers, this collaborative cultural and social hub fosters community integration, mutual understanding, and inclusive access to public services. The two facilities represent a bold response to contemporary urban challenges through innovative use of public space.
- [How Seoul's Outdoor Libraries redefined public reading spaces across the city](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/seoul-outdoor-library.md) — Seoul’s Outdoor Library initiative, launched in 2022, redefines urban public spaces by transforming them into open-air reading environments. With installations in Seoul Plaza, Gwanghwamun Square, and Cheonggyecheon Stream, the programme offers diverse literary and cultural experiences. Attracting over five million visitors by 2024, it has revitalised reading habits, inspired nationwide adoption, and earned international recognition, showcasing the power of innovative cultural policy in urban settings.
- [Art Festival_Seoul: How Seoul unified seven seasonal festivals into a cohesive annual programme](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/art-festival-seoul.md) — Art Festival_Seoul merges seven arts festivals into a continuous seasonal format across the year, hosted in central public spaces like Nodeul Island and Seoul Plaza. With expanded programming and improved accessibility services, attendance more than doubled from 2022 to 2024. The festival supports a wider range of artists and offers citizens diverse opportunities to experience culture in everyday life, contributing to Seoul’s post-pandemic cultural renewal.
- [Stockholm’s Nobel Week Lights Winter Festival](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/stockholm-nobel-week-lights.md) — Held each December during the Nobel Prize celebrations, Nobel Week Lights invites artists to create large-scale light installations inspired by Nobel-winning discoveries. The free festival reimagines Stockholm’s public spaces during its darkest month, with artworks designed to engage all ages and backgrounds. In 2024, 1.7 million people experienced 16 installations including student works, multilingual tours, and interactive events. The festival boosts civic pride, cultural access, and Stockholm’s global visibility through light and science.
- [Creative Hoardings: How Sydney made construction hoardings beautiful](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/sydney-creative-hoardings.md) — Since 2016, Sydney’s Creative Hoardings program has transformed over 320 construction sites into outdoor galleries, showcasing the work of contemporary Australian artists. Introduced as part of the Creative City Action Plan, it mandates creative graphics on hoardings, enhancing public space while regulating advertising. Artists are paid above-industry rates for licensed designs, offered to developers free of charge. The initiative has boosted artist visibility, reduced graffiti, and become a model for cultural integration in urban development.
- [Songshan Cultural and Creative Park: A cultural ecosystem incubator in Taipei ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/taipei-songshan-cultural-and-creative-park.md) — Once the Songshan Tobacco Factory, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (SCCP) has become one of Taipei’s most significant creative workspaces since its reopening in 2011. Dedicated to preserving industrial heritage and promoting creative industries, the park has established itself as “Taipei City’s Hub for Originality.” Not only is it boosting cultural offerings for city residents and visitors, SCCP also successfully incubates Taiwanese fashion brands for international markets. 
- [Artist Feedback: Zürich's Try-Out festival where artists can get feedback on work in progress ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/zurich-theater-am-hechtplatz.md) — Launched in 2023 by Theater am Hechtplatz, Hecht Jetzt is Zürich’s annual try-out festival for emerging Swiss theatre artists. Held over 3–4 days each summer, it gives artists one rehearsal, one performance, and a moderated feedback session with a diverse audience, followed by informal exchange and networking. Participants are paid, and many report valuable insights and new bookings as a result. The festival offers an honest, inclusive space for experimentation and artistic development.
- [Culture and collaboration in Cologne’s meanwhile spaces](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/cologne-meanwhile-spaces-cultural-transformation.md) — In Cologne’s city centre, culture is being tested as a catalyst for urban revival. Launched in 2024, an innovative collaboration between Cultural Space Management and TH Köln University is transforming three vacant retail units near Schildergasse and Hohe Straße into vibrant “meanwhile spaces.” By curating cultural pop-ups, performances, and community-led interventions, the project explores how temporary uses can attract new audiences, extend city life beyond retail hours, and foster social diversity. Through this living laboratory, Cologne is reimagining how culture can drive the renewal of central urban spaces in transition.
- [How Cologne used culture to revive Neumarkt Square](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/cologne-cultural-activation-of-neumarkt-square.md) — Once Cologne’s historic Neumarkt square was better known for decline than community. In 2023, the city launched Take a Seat—a cultural programme combining temporary architecture, performances, and community co-creation—to reclaim the square as a safe, vibrant civic space. Over two summer months, Neumarkt was transformed into a hub of cultural life, offering a model for how cities can use culture to spark urban renewal.
- [How Dublin used culture to strategically boost its nightlife ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/dublin-night-time-economy-strategy-2.md) — In 2024, Dublin launched a new Night-Time Economy Strategy to reimagine nightlife as a key pillar of civic and cultural life. Led by the city’s first Night-Time Economy Adviser, the plan expands late-night cultural programming, enhances transport, and improves safety. With flagship events like Dublin By Night Fest and St. Patrick’s After Dark, the strategy promotes inclusive and vibrant after-dark engagement while piloting welfare services and safer city experiences.
- [Brussels by Night Enhancing safety for all](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/brussels-by-night-city-safety-strategy-2.md) — Launched in 2022, Brussels By Night demonstrates how city governments can transform nightlife safety through strategic partnerships with venue operators and city partners. Deploying incident response care teams at nighttime events, open air festivals and in nightlife districts has also helped prevent and manage gender-based and sexual violence, as well as drug and alcohol related incidents – while preserving vibrant nightlife culture and creating a safer nighttime economy.
- [Art for All: Amateurs and established artists participate in annual Brussels Carte de Visite art exhibition  ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/brussels-carte-de-visite-artopenkunst-art-exhibition-2.md) — Launched in 2014, Brussels' collaborative, free and participatory art exhibition Carte de Visite | ArtOpenkunst has been showcasing hundreds of amateur and established artists every year. It has made art creation, exhibition and appreciation accessible to all. Since 2020, artists have competed for the Prix de la CENTRALE to exhibit their work together at CENTRALE, one of Brussels’ most important venues for international and local contemporary art.
- [19 Cities Selected To Participate In Third Round Of The Leadership Exchange Programme](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/announcing-third-round-of-leadership-exchange-programme.md) — Nineteen global cities have been selected for the World Cities Culture Forum’s third Leadership Exchange Programme, enabling city leaders to share and scale cultural strategies that drive thriving, inclusive, and resilient urban environments.
- [How are cultural spaces in cities tackling the loneliness epidemic?    ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/loneliness-in-cities.md) — From libraries reimagined as “people’s homes,” to outdoor reading plazas in Seoul and community gardens in New York, cities are finding creative ways to transform public spaces into places of connection. These cultural spaces aren’t just venues for books, art, or history—they are lifelines for belonging, wellbeing, and social bonds in an increasingly isolated urban world.
- [How World Cities Are Making Streets Safer with Asphalt Art](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/how-world-cities-are-making-streets-safer-with-asphalt-art.md) — A city’s streets and public spaces define its character and vibrancy, but too many urban streets are designed to prioritize cars over people. From Helsinki to Chicago, World Cities Culture Forum partner cities are bringing life back to their streets through a creative practice called asphalt art.

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative helps cities around the world make their streets safer and more welcoming for pedestrians through visual art interventions on streets, intersections, plazas, and other transportation infrastructure.
- [A lesson in conservation: heritage experts restore Jakarta’s treasured monument ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/a-lesson-in-conservation-heritage-experts-restore-jakartas-treasured-monument.md)
- [Culture matters. So why is it always treated as an optional extra?](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/culture-matters-so-why-is-it-always-treated-as-an-optional-extra.md) — In London one in every five jobs is a creative one, yet these industries don’t get the attention they deserve.All around us culture is making a difference, often profoundly. Dance is reducing dementia, opera is helping rebuild Covid-damaged lungs and theatre is helping young people at risk find a positive new life path. Culture is revitalising neighbourhoods, building communities and dare I say it — hope. On the flip-side, when politicians do back culture, the rewards are immense.
- [Innovative museums set to open globally in 2024](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/innovative-museums-set-to-open-globally-in-2024.md)
- [Public art and conversation: Dublin's approach to embracing diversity](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/public-art-conversation-dublins-approach-to-embracing-diversity.md) — Dublin’s population has become more diverse in recent years.  However, it was quickly identified by The Dublin Place Brand Team that the growing diversity of those living in the city was not reflected in imagery representing the local area. This included stock images held for public use on free or paid for download sites.
- [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
- [P.A.R.T.Y in Chicago: engaging communities through art for urban transformation](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/chicago-p-a-r-t-y-public-art-reimaging-tour-with-youchicago.md) — Chicago identified priority investment corridors in each neighborhood for streetscape and public realm enhancements, including new roadways, sidewalks, light poles, bike lanes, landscaping and community plazas.
- [São Paulo's journey from street art vandalism to world capital in mural painting](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/sao-paulo-museu-de-arte-de-rua-de-sao-paulo.md) — The Street Art Museum project was launched in 2019, and provides a framework for organising the distribution of new murals across buildings in the city. The project takes place across five regions within the city, and gathers work from a range of artists working in graffiti, stencils and photography
- [San Francisco responds to demands for positive representation of indigenous communities](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/san-francisco-removal-of-early-days-from-pioneer-movement.md) — Over the past few decades, Indigenous communities have organised to demand for their rights for self-determination and positive representation. Increasingly, these cities have been working to address the issue, though the process is often complicated and highly polarised.
- [Why Brussels is redefining urban art as an expression of freedom and inclusivity](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/urban-and-public-art-in-brussels.md) — A pioneering approach to enabling a lively street art scene, ranging from music to contemporary sculpture, festivals, events, performance art and graffiti.
- [Seoul's open-air museum: a quest to inspire deeper cultural encounters](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/seoul-is-museum-2.md) — A public citizen-led art programme creating cultural spaces in Seoul's public places, with the aspiration of turning the city into an open-air art museum.
- [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.
- [THE GOLDEN THREAD: CULTURE AND SPORT IN PARIS AND LOS ANGELES](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/the-golden-threat-culture-and-sport-in-paris-and-la.md) — As part of our Leadership Exchange Programme supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, cultural leaders from Los Angeles and Paris shared plans for their cultural programme as hosts of Olympics Games Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028