How did your city become what it is today? What did your street look like 100 years ago? And how will it look like 100 years from now?
Cities are about so much more than architecture, tourist sights and famous landmarks. They are hubs filled with potential and possibilities. What becomes of cities is not always random, haphazard or predestined, but rather the result of a series of deliberate choices made by many people over many generations. What they become in the future is up to all of us alive today. What kind of buildings are allowed to get built? What kind of transit are we prioritizing? What kind of public art should we spend money on?
Cities are never perfect and never finished. They are filled with constant tensions, constant change, renewal and reinvention. To truly thrive, cities would ideally be welcoming places for artists, young and old people, newcomers, people from different places and all socio-economic backgrounds. They would be filled with inhabitants who have the drive to improve things for everyone. When we talk about CITIES, we envision places where people are passionate about learning about their surroundings, where the community-minded go to town halls and where inhabitants vote in local elections because they care about more than just themselves. Even in small towns, that kind of community life usually always comes with problems, but how we approach those problems and come together to solve them is what matters. It’s people that make a city.
That’s what we mean by CITIES:
You may be wondering if by CITIES we only mean urban centres and what cities have to do with arts & letters, considering that they are not an art form. Despite its name, which technically refers only to urban settlements, the YW theme of CITIES covers any type of human settlement. This includes suburbs, towns, small towns, very small towns, villages and also rural areas – basically, any place where people live together in a community and any place where arts & letters happen. CITIES covers architecture, geography, urban planning and design, public art, local lore & history and civic engagement on a local level. CITIES deals with anything that shapes how the built environment looks and impacts how sustainable and healthy our communities are.
We are building an arts & letters directory
We want to help you find out new things about the place you live in. We want you to discover new neighbourhoods and the history of a place. We want to showcase public art, fascinating architecture and the importance of urban design. We want to give you ideas for events to attend to discover your surroundings and how to connect with your community. And we want to help you find inspiring art and gifts which celebrate the beauty of the places all around you.
While our directory is only just getting started, this is what we have planned for the theme of CITIES:
How to add your organization to the Young W directory
Are you an artist who creates public art or murals, a local community organization, a historical society or any other organization which fits into one of the categories above? Check out the Get Involved page for details about how to get your organization added to the directory.
We sell city-themed postcards and trading cards, plus non-fiction books about geography, design, architectural follies and the history of cities.
