About Open City
Open City is an educational charity empowering communities to learn about, experience and have a role in shaping places where they live.
We create educational programmes engaging broad audiences with city-making and built heritage. Our work is organised into three strands:
Our public education programmes like the Open House Festival and year-round urban tours support tens of thousands of people to experience, learn about and feel more connected to places and communities through festivals and tours.
Our young people’s education programmes support children and young people from under-represented communities learn about, and are empowered to pursue, careers in city-making.
Our professional education programmes provide courses and thought leadership supporting professionals to develop skills and knowledge in contemporary urban issues.
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Public Education
In addition to our year-round programme of walking, cycling and boat tours, we run city-wide festival empowering communities, residents’ groups, civic organisations and local businesses to exhibit and learn about buildings and neighbourhoods which matter to them, our Open House Festivals are accessible volunteer-led public celebrations encouraging audiences to explore new places, learn about different communities and experience diverse architecture first-hand. In London our Open House Festival engages tens of thousands of visitors a year across over 800 sites in all 33 boroughs.
Young People’s Education
We work with schools and higher education providers to support children and young people from under-represented communities to develop the design skills and critical thinking needed for successful careers in creative industries including design, architecture and landscape.
Professional Education
Open City creates high quality professional-facing education programmes such as our award-winning free podcast and leading CPD training programmes supporting built environment professionals and policy-makers to engage with ethical and policy issues facing urbanism.
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International
In addition to Open Citys’ work in the UK, we lead, support and grow an international network of over 60 Open House Festivals from Lagos to New York, creatively engaging over 750,000 citizens a year with architecture of their local communities.
The Open City Staff
Open City Trustees
Accelerate Advisory Board
Stewardship Awards Judges
Open City Programmes
Open House Festival
Giving 250,000 Londoners each year access to architecture and landscapes they are normally locked out of
Learning Programmes
Leading education programmes engaging over 8,000 young people across 50 London schools each year
Open House Worldwide
A network of 50 Cities from Lagos to Taipei and New York to Santiago
Year-round events, films and podcasts
We make books, tours, talks, films and radio shows opening up big conversations about London and its architecture
Partners
Open City's work is possible thanks to the support of the Open City Partners; a community of architects, businesses, industry leaders, and policy-makers who believe in a more diverse and sustainable city. To find out more about who these supporters are, or how you can become part of the network please click here.
Open City’s partners are listed below: