Where does the 7 Billion Urbanists (7BU) network come from?
Our network has grown organically out of the convergence of Unlimited Cities (UC) users from around the world, sharing their diverse experiences. Since its formalization as an association in 2015, our ambition has been to provide this emerging community with a space for fluid, decentralized exchanges. Thanks to sharing under CC BY SA* and GNU AGPL** licenses, the various contributions are constantly improving the software's methods and functionalities. Together, we're working to build a rich documentation resource, accessible to users and newcomers alike.
Our proposal:
What the 7BU network proposes is direct contact with people who have used UC methods to develop critical analyses and improve methods and tools. Through collective intelligence, we enrich our documentation of methods and projects, reflecting a diversity of applications adapted to different contexts.
Our inspirations:
Direct interaction between UC project leaders has opened up unexplored horizons;
- Transcontinental inspiration: A designer in the USA, looking to apply UC collective intelligence in Morocco, was inspired by a project in Taiwan to collect contributions in a non-digital way. This off-line method helped engage the participation of people who were reluctant to participate due to mistrust linked to the aftermath of the Spanish Sahara conflict.
- Academic collaborations: In an initiative aimed at bringing urban projects closer to civil society right from the design stage, a number of universities are planning to set up UC workshops. The work carried out by professors and students in China with the Host laboratory was decisive in defining the format of these workshops, providing a clear and effective structure. Inspired by this approach, the Universidad Central de l'Ecuador in Quito and the Host lab adapted and implemented this format, which proved to be particularly effective. This success has established a UC workshop model as a recommended reference for other universities wishing to teach how to engage civil society in the development of inclusive sustainable transition projects.
Become a member:
Joining 7 Billion Urbanists is conditional on two criteria: concrete experience with the UC approach and a written membership application. In return, members must agree to share their experiences and respond to those who ask for their opinions. The diversity of members reflects the DNA of UC methods, which are by definition open to the widest possible range of players.
The sharing of experience and the advice that may result from it are on a pro bono basis (within reasonable limits, to be defined between the parties involved). Beyond that, the licenses used to protect the initial intention of UC allow all activities, whether voluntary or lucrative, as long as the results are shared under the same copyleft licenses, and through the informal or formal structures of each member.
If you become a member of 7BU, you're taking part in a collective adventure aimed at making civil society a player in territorial transformations, an imperative for an equitable and inclusive sustainable transition. Membership can be terminated by simple written request.
Our commitment:
With the support of the Open Urbanism Foundation from Geneva, we aim to intensify interactivity between our members and share advances in academic research and practical achievements. Our diverse membership reflects the DNA of UC methods, embracing a wide variety of stakeholders.
Co-founders* and 2024 members:
Nicolas Ancel* (France), Ambra Bernarbo Silorata (Italy), Phil Brock (USA), Nazaire Diatta (France), Carole Dureau* (France), Morgane Le Guillou (Taiwan), Marco Kelly (Mexico), Lionel Lourdin (Switzerland), Alain Renk* (France, Switzerland), Clément Tricot (Taiwan), Nicolas Salmon (Ecuador), Walter Simone* (France), Mu Wei (China), Grace Yepes (Ecuador), Grégoire Zabé* (France).
Main partners:
World Urban Campaign UN Habitat
Open Urbanism Foundation
Contact:
contact@7billion-urbanists.org
* The Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license (CC BY SA) allows re-distribution and re-use of a licensed work on the conditions that the creator is appropriately credited and that any derivative work is made available under “the same, similar or a compatible license”.
** The GNU Affero General Public License (GNU AGPL) is a free, copyleft license published by the Free Software Foundation in November 2007, and based on the GNU GPL version 3 and the Affero General Public License.It is intended for software designed to be run over a network, adding a provision requiring that the corresponding source code of modified versions of the software be prominently offered to all users who interact with the software over a network.