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
##
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
Urban Pockets
Through the ‘Urban Activisms for Civic Democracy’ project, Co-PLAN and its partners engaged citizens directly in reclaiming and greening neglected public spaces in Tirana. The two-stage, participatory intervention stands as a strong model of community-led planning, transforming overlooked areas into vibrant, well-used neighborhood spaces.