WOBO is pleased to provide an update from the Public Space Academy – a fellow partner with UN-Habitat.
The PUBLIC SPACE academy
We would like to celebrate with you a year of inspiration and commitment to advancing public space culture.
As you may recall, in January 2024 we launched the Public Space Academy’s LEARN platform during an online event with our partners at the Ove Arup Foundation and UN-Habitat.
Since then, we have published seven mini-courses that explore the complexities and challenges of public space theory and practice. Two more courses have already been published and will start in February 2025:
– Good Hood Stories / Season 2 from South African Cities Network, documenting people and projects in areas including Gugulethu (Cape Town), Tshwane, Kwamashu, Durban, Hillbrow;
– Imagining Public Space with and for Her from City Space Architecture, including 11 interviews with key female and male scholars working on gender issues.
We have also organized several face-to-face workshops, in Bologna at Museo Spazio Pubblico (June and September), in New York City at Pratt Institute (April) and in Cairo at the 12th World Urban Forum (November) in collaboration with the Ove Arup Foundation, UN-Habitat and the German University in Cairo. Read more about all our 2024 events here.
We are currently planning two workshops for the Spring-Summer 2025.
In September 2024 we have launched the Mentorship Programme to support researchers and practitioners who are actively engaged in public space projects, in collaboration with five mentors who generously support our work with their volunteer time. Following an open call for applications, we have selected 13 learners from China, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, India, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, Peru and the United Kingdom.
In 2024, we also engaged seven Keynote Lecturers for our live-streamed programme on the YouTube channel of City Space Architecture:
– Vikas Mehta (United States) on “Public Space: Why It Matters, What We Should Know, How to Realize its Potential”
– Husam Al Waer (United Kingdom) on “The 20-min Neighbourhood”
– Floor van Ditzhuyzen (Netherlands) on “Urban Hospitality”
– Insaf Ben Othmane Hamrouni (Ireland and Tunisia) on “Negotiating Shared Spaces: Unveiling Social Contracts in the Public Sphere”
– Guillermo Bernal (Mexico) on “Placemaking Essentials: Principles, Practices and Global Applications”
– Ehsan Ranjbar (Iran) on “Hidden Factors Affecting the Transformation of Public Spaces: Evidence from Iranian Cities”
– Nadine Bitar (Dubai and Saudi Arabia) on “PLACE as an approach for transforming MENA Cities”.
We are currently planning the 2025 keynote lectures series, stay tuned on our Linkedin Page!
Get involved in the Public Space Academy!
Would you like to support or to become a partner of the Public Space Academy? Feel free to get in touch with us by email for further information!
Our call to become a lecturer received 60+ applications! We are now evaluating proposals and we will re-open the call in 2025. Thank you for your interest!
Events of the Public Space Academy