What is the UrbanA Community of Practice & how can I become part of it?
The UrbanA Community is an open network of individuals committed to taking constructive action towards more just and sustainable cities.
We are so grateful so see how the UrbanA Community of Practice has grown in the past months. But first of all, who is part of it? If you are reading this, you probably are. You might have subscribed to our newsletter to stay up to date with what UrbanA does, joined one of our Community Conversations, co-created with your knowledge directly on our Wiki or during one of the Arena events, listened to one of our podcasts, or simply liked our Tweets. No matter how big or small contributions are, they all add up to be part of this wide Community.
For us, it has been a process of learning by doing, of trial and error. We didn’t have a plan set in stone on how the Community would grow. After the first Urban Arena in Rotterdam, it became clear there was a common feeling of building something together. In March, as the Covid-19 pandemic started hitting most European countries, the UrbanA team began hosting the Community Conversations, which kept many of us engaged in discussions on sustainable and just cities. Since then we have held seven Community Conversations involving more than 300 participants from all over Europe.
At UrbanA, we believe that Communities of Practice and collaborations among community members are an essential part of the sustainable, just urban transition. Although UrbanA is a three-year project, our goal is to create longer lasting networks and connections among diverse city-makers who can learn from each other. Challenges of unsustainability and injustice need to be tackled together with a common vision, drawing on the variety of views that only a diverse community can offer.
Here are five ways you can become part of the UrbanA Community of Practice
One: Join online Community Conversations (UrbanA CoCo)
These are highly participatory conversations — not your classic listen-only-webinars! UrbanA wants to give as much space as possible to questions, comments and exchange. Find out here when the next UrbanA Community Conversation happens and register. You can also watch the videos from previous conversations on our YouTube channel or our blog.
Two: Co-create knowledge
Together we have created the Wiki on Just and Sustainable cities, an important part of UrbanA’s knowledge commons. Anytime you want, you can create a Wiki account, and contribute to this knowledge! Read this call for co-creation to know more, or see the video and blog post from our earlier Community Conversation.
Three: Subscribe to our newsletter
You won’t get spammed. UrbanA sends a newsletter every couple of months as a recap of UrbanA’s most important news. Subscribe here and see here for previous newsletters.
Four: Follow us on social media
UrbanA produces a lot of content! Have a browse of our Resources section to find our podcasts, videos, publications, and blog — all about urban justice and sustainability.
Five: Participate in discussions
You can also become a member of the LinkedIn group where we share ANYTHING relevant to the community.
UrbanA has just set up a space for interaction and learning on the Communities for Future collaboration platform. Register and initiate conversation! [NB: The platform is still in the beta version! By November 2020 the full working version will be running — Stay tuned for the launch!]
