Reimagine Urban Neighborhoods Through Civic Action
Empowering Communities with Knowledge, Tools, Courses and Real-World Case Studies for Lasting Urban Resilience.
An open learning platform that connects civic knowledge with urban transformation. Discover how public spaces, community engagement, and planning tools shape more just and resilient neighborhoods.
What is Learning UPRUN ?
Civic Tools
Practical methods like open calls, mapping, and workshops that empower citizens to shape urban transformation together.
Design
Human-centered design processes that turn ideas into inclusive, resilient spaces and participatory planning solutions.
Real Stories
True accounts from cities and neighborhoods—showcasing how everyday people co-create more just and livable urban futures.
Courses
18 - Transformative Capacity and place-based leadership
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17 - What explains the performance of community-based initiatives?
Explores how community-based initiatives in urban areas transform neighborhoods by fostering social cohesion, leveraging leadership, and mobilizing organizational and socio-political resources for sustainable change.
12 - Planning with People: Stakeholder Simulations
Interactive lecture uses stakeholder simulations from European cities to explore participatory planning, negotiation, conflict, inclusion, and urban resilience.
5 - Co-creation, co-production and public-civic partnerships
4 - Tactical Urbanism as an Approach of Citizens’ Initiatives
Students will learn city performance indicators affecting prosperity and quality of life; resilient neighborhoods withstand, adapt, and recover from shocks.
3 - Civil society and civic engagement
This unit explores the foundations, motivations, forms, and challenges of civic engagement in neighborhood and urban development, highlighting its role in shaping resilient communities and influencing local governance.
Case Studies
Verve Neubeckum
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VERVE is a non-profit organization located in the Neubeckum district of Beckum, dedicated to fostering community engagement and promoting urban development. Established as an initiative in 2020, VERVE emerged from informal gatherings of local residents who sought to address the lack of meeting places and cultural activities in their neighborhood.
Stadtmensch Altenburg
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The STADTMENSCH initiative, translating to “city person,” is a grassroots movement based in Altenburg, Germany, aimed at empowering residents to actively participate in urban development. Established against the backdrop of significant population decline , STADTMENSCH seeks to promote an environment that encourages ownership and responsibility.
Gelgaudiškis Manor Homestead
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Gelgaudiškis Manor is an important part of the Lithuanian cultural heritage, which has undergone various historical changes. After a fire in 1979, it was abandoned for a long time until the community took the initiative to revive it. In 2002, the Gelgaudiškis Community Center “Atgaiva” was established and became the driving force behind the restoration process.
Yeitonia+
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“Yeitonia+” (Neighborhood +) is a transformative initiative led by the Cyprus Energy Agency in collaboration with the Cyprus University of Technology and the Office of the Environment Commissioner.
Basel and the Neighbouring Regions
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Environmental issues are becoming very important to many people, and organizations are committed to making positive changes for nature and the environment.
Miesto Laboratorija (City Lab)
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The “Miesto Laboratorija” (City Lab) project in Vilnius transformed an underused building into a multifunctional hub.