Based on the encouraging results of a first international colloquium in Brussels in 2007, Lise Coirier and Chantal Vanoeteren brought their experiences together in order to launch “Human Cities”, a European cooperation project supported by the Culture programme 2007-2013 of the European Commission.
In 2008, the Human Cities network gathered Pro Materia (BE), the Faculté d’Architecture La Cambre Horta de l’ULB (BE), the Politecnico in Milan (IT), the Institute for Urban Planning in Ljubljana (SLO) and the Lighthouse in Glasgow (UK) which is replaced since 2010 by the Cité du Design in Saint-Etienne (FR). They all work together in order to highlight and tackle the uses and attitudes of people in urban public space. They question the socio-cultural issues of urban design ranging from public spaces to urban furniture and objects in European cities today. This collaboration within the Human Cities network resulted in two successful festivals in Brussels: Human Cities Festival 2010 Celebrating Public Space & Human Cities Festival 2012 Reclaiming Public Space. And one festival took place in the growing megalopolis Instanbul; Human Cities Brussels Istanbul
In 2014, Human Cities_Challenging the City Scale, selected by the Creative Europe program of the European Commission is shaped as a multidisciplinary European network. It is composed of various complementary partners profiles: universities / departments of architecture and design, urban planning centers, design centers, design weeks, ICT – information and communication technologies platforms, service design and creative design consultancy agencies…
Led by Cité du Design de Saint-Etienne [FR], the 12 partners of Human Cities Network share their knowledge, competencies and know-how with a common aim to innovate with people in the urban space using design as a creative and sustainable tool.
