Collaborative Urbanism is best seen when a community, neighborhood, local organization or even just a few residents come together to address an issue in their community. It can be anything from establishing and building a community garden to organizing a tactical urban intervention. It is the evolution of community engagement, and it is civic engagement in action. The term 'collaborative urbanism' assumes many things. For starters, a place-specific group (large or small) has realized the power of collaboration. They have opened the floor to diverse ideas, are willing to stretch when necessary to see things beyond one perspective and are then willing to collectively take action for the benefit of their community. This group has also realized that they, as local residents or businesses, have immense power in shaping their community. They are willing to engage other community groups and political leaders in the conversation. Most of all, they understand that vibrant cities are built by people and for people. All other interests are secondary.
Collaborative urbanism projects can take many forms -- it can be a group of businesses that come together to host a street market for their community. It can be a group of residents that take steps to increase the safety of their neighborhood streets or build a community garden to provide fresh produce for an entire neighborhood. These projects can be powered by art or advocacy, or both. Regardless of form, they all have one shared goal: to improve the relationship between a place and the people that interact with it.
The driving force remains clear: cities are ever-evolving, dynamic, living things, and the power of a great, vibrant city lies first and foremost with its people.