SOUL OF CITIES

What is the Soul of the City?

Start Date: 8. October 2025

Start Time: 15:00 CET

End Time: 17:00 CET

Theme: Cities as Living Beings

Focus: Cities are not machines, but organisms with a deep memory of joys and sorrows, triumphs and falls, victories and traumas, inspiration and challenges. The “soul” is not metaphorical but a felt reality shaped by relationships, environment and stories.

Research Basis: Introduction of the Soul of the City Report.

Purpose: Establish the conceptual field, prepare the base for launching the Year of the Soul of Cities, and invite diverse participants into the inquiry.

Expected Outcomes: Shared conceptual grounding; collective launch of the annual cycle. Establishing terminological and methodological clarity to be presented and implemented in local development across all continents.

Hosts and participants: 

Marina Demchenko (LCARE research leader, first ever advisor to the mayor on the holistic wellbeing and happiness of citizens in Zverevo, Russia)

Dr Alexander Laszlo (Director of research at the Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research (LINPR)

Dr Violeta Bulc (founder of the Ecocivilisation movement, former European Commissioner for Transport (2014 to 2019) and Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia)

Paul van Schaik (Architect, advisor and consultant with 45+ years of working in international development, education, health, and infrastructure sectors)

Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan (former President of Maldives)

Co-Organisers:  Ecocivilisation, International Center of Humanity, Living Cities Action Research Ecosystem, The Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research

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