Atlas · democracy and civic practices
Practices, programmes, networks, platforms and regulations that produce or connect civic spaces. They are not places to visit: they are ways of doing things that can be replicated. How the atlas is made →
An arts NGO exploring the potential of art to create community in the hot spring city: permanent pieces (ALTERNATIVE-STATE), an Art Fair and Beppu Art Month, so that the onsen is not the city's only story.
A network of groups and people building the city in a participatory way: itinerant gatherings, legal tools for the citizen management of spaces and mutual support among projects across Spain.
The association that brings together France's third places and their regional and thematic networks, born in 2019 as a prefiguration structure and formally established as a national association in 2022.
Avanzi is one of the pioneering organisations in social innovation and sustainability in Italy, active in Milan since 1997.
An Asian network founded in 1989 that supports urban poor savings groups and their federations so they can negotiate land and housing with governments.
An association of some 400 residents of Kong Lor and Natan, the villages at either mouth of a 7.5 km river cave, which runs the site through eight village groups: boats, prices, visitors, waste and crafts with a common fund.
The pioneering territorial art festival across 760 square kilometres of satoyama landscape, with over 200 permanent works in villages, houses and abandoned schools.
A public network of neighbourhood fablabs: digital fabrication at the service of schools, organisations and residents, with social return instead of payment.
An urban creation collective founded in 1997 by architects, with roots in street workshops from the mid-1990s.
An association founded in 2013 in a village in the Salento to reclaim more than fifteen hectares of abandoned land lent free of charge by their owners.
Network of north-eastern small farmers defending food sovereignty against the chemical model and debt to the agricultural bank.
In Ban Sai, a village the government classes as poor, women distilled lao-lao (rice spirit) separately and sold it cheaply.
A network of community canteens that reached a record 12,601 in 2025, outnumbering public high schools.
String orchestras in peripheral neighbourhoods of the Canary Islands, with families as part of the project: music as a tool for cohesion and neighbourhood pride, already exported to other territories.
A cooperative of collective interest founded in 2018 in Crest to buy and refurbish empty commercial premises in villages and small-town centres, then lease them to social economy projects.
cheFare defines itself as an agency for cultural transformation: it has worked since 2012, and formally since 2014, with museums, libraries, cooperatives and public administrations on processes of cultural policy design and participation.
A national programme for upgrading informal settlements, launched in 2003.
A cooperative of smallholder coffee growers on the Bolaven Plateau that washes beans at village centres, exports organic and fair-trade coffee and spends the Fairtrade premium on schools, water, health and cheap credit.
A programme commissioning signature public architecture (Ando, Ito, Sejima) with independent curatorship and workshops between architects and residents.
A collaborative cartography of thousands of citizen initiatives in cities across Spain and Ibero-America.
In 1991 the residents of Succiso, a village in the Reggio Emilia Apennines at 1,000 metres altitude, founded Italy's first cooperativa di comunità to halt total depopulation.
A municipal lab created in December 2023 that tests cheap solutions to everyday problems before they become policy: furniture for street vendors in Phra Nakhon, motorcycle taxi stands, bus signs, shelter for homeless people and pedestrian…
A state network of centres where children and teenagers learn traditional dance, music and puppetry, drawing and reading.
A community tourism office, the first half-public half-private entity of its kind in Japan, connecting local businesses along the Kumano Kodo with international visitors and keeping the value of tourism in the territory.
The digital participation platform (proposals, participatory budgets, debates) whose free software, Consul, has been adopted by hundreds of institutions worldwide.
An international urban art festival that since 2016 has brought murals by artists from around the world to the façades of a medieval Molise village emptied by emigration, with barely three hundred residents, most of them elderly.
Since fiscal year 2023, each of Bangkok's roughly 2,000 registered communities can receive 200,000 baht for its own projects.
Pools and river stretches where the village bans or limits fishing under its own rules, signed by the district.
An NPO that runs the municipal akiya bank and has matched or renovated some 200 hillside houses in Onomichi: guesthouses, cafés, homes and community spaces in a quarter reachable only by stairs.
Free digital infrastructure for participatory democracy, governed by its own community (Metadecidim) and used by hundreds of cities and institutions worldwide.
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| Place | Country | Territory | Typology | Visitable | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beppu Project ベップ・プロジェクト | Japan | Kyushu | Art and territory | Yes (free artworks) | Verified |
| Echigo-Tsumari Art Field 越後妻有 | Japan | Chubu | Art and territory | Yes (2027 triennial) | Verified |
| Kodomo Shokudo / Musubie こども食堂・むすびえ | Japan | Nationwide | Civic food | Yes (local canteens) | Verified |
| Kumamoto Artpolis くまもとアートポリス | Japan | Kyushu | Art and territory | Yes (public buildings) | Verified |
| Kumano Travel / Tanabe 田辺市熊野ツーリズムビューロー | Japan | Kansai | Civic labs and participation | Yes | Verified |
| Onomichi Akiya Saisei Project 尾道空き家再生プロジェクト | Japan | Chugoku | Reuse of vacancy | Yes (guesthouses) | Verified |
| Setouchi Triennale / Naoshima 瀬戸内・直島 | Japan | Shikoku | Art and territory | Yes | Verified |
| studio-L スタジオ・エル | Japan | Kansai | Civic design collectives | Office (by prior arrangement) | Verified |
| Yatai de Fukuoka 福岡屋台 | Japan | Kyushu | Third place | Yes (every night) | Verified |
| Apadrina un Olivo | Spain | Aragon | Civic food | Yes (visits to your olive tree) | Partially verified |
| Arquitecturas Colectivas | Spain | Nationwide | Civic design collectives | The annual gathering calendar seems to have slowed down: no recent edition found | Verified |
| Ateneus de Fabricació | Spain | Catalonia | Civic labs and participation | Yes | Verified |
| Barrios Orquestados | Spain | Canary Islands | Art and territory | Concerts and rehearsals | Verified |
| CIVICS (mapa de innovación ciudadana) | Spain | Nationwide | Civic design collectives | Online platform | Verified |
| Concejos abiertos y facenderas | Spain | Castile and León | Third place | Territorial context | Partially verified |
| Decide Madrid / Consul | Spain | Madrid | Civic labs and participation | Online platform | Verified |
| Decidim | Spain | Catalonia | Civic labs and participation | Online platform | Verified |
| Estonoesunsolar | Spain | Aragon | Participatory urbanism | The reclaimed plots are still in the city, but no programme activity is recorded since 2020 | Verified |
| Frena la Curva | Spain | Aragon | Civic labs and participation | Online legacy | Verified |
| Los Madriles | Spain | Madrid | Civic design collectives | Atlas online and in print | Verified |
| Proxecto Cárcere | Spain | Galicia | Reuse of vacancy | No regular activities: the building remains abandoned and in litigation | Partially verified |
| Recetas Urbanas | Spain | Andalusia | Civic design collectives | Works in public space | Verified |
| Sociedades gastronómicas (txokos) | Spain | Basque Country | Third place | By invitation from members | Partially verified |
| Superilles (supermanzanas) | Spain | Catalonia | Participatory urbanism | Yes (Poblenou, Sant Antoni) | Verified |
| Tribunal de las Aguas | Spain | Valencian Community | Third place | Yes (Thursdays at noon, Puerta de los Apóstoles) | Verified |
| Association Nationale des Tiers-Lieux ANTL | France | Nationwide | Civic design collectives | Office (by prior arrangement) | Verified |
| Bruit du Frigo | France | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | Participatory urbanism | The association's premises; its projects are visible in Bordeaux's public space | Verified |
| Estuaire Nantes<>Saint-Nazaire | France | Pays de la Loire | Art and territory | Yes, a free 120 km route by car, bike or boat, with Estuaire guides | Partially verified |
| France Tiers-Lieux GIP France Tiers-Lieux | France | Nationwide | Civic labs and participation | Online legacy | Verified |
| Le Vent des Forêts | France | Grand Est | Art and territory | Yes, free access all year along waymarked paths | Partially verified |
| Villages Vivants | France | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | Reuse of vacancy | Based in Crest; refurbished shops and premises to visit in several villages | Verified |
| Avanzi Avanzi - Sostenibilita per Azioni | Italy | Lombardia | Civic design collectives | Avanzi Coworking is a shared space open to members and visitors | Verified |
| Casa delle AgriCulture Tullia e Gino | Italy | Puglia | Civic food | Land, community mill and market garden open to visits, volunteering welcome | Verified |
| cheFare | Italy | Lombardia | Civic design collectives | Not an open public space: it works through projects and training | Verified |
| Comunanza Agraria di Santo Stefano dei Piccioni | Italy | Umbria | Third place | Administrative offices can be visited; the farmland is not always accessible | Partially verified |
| Comunità Energetica Rinnovabile di Ussaramanna | Italy | Sardegna | Civic labs and participation | Not a physical space to visit: a municipally owned energy community | Partially verified |
| Cooperativa di Comunità dei Sibillini | Italy | Marche | Commons and belonging | Yes, it offers experiential tourism in the Sibillini mountains | Partially verified |
| Cooperativa Placido Rizzotto | Italy | Sicilia | Civic food | Direct sale of produce and guided visits to the land, by booking | Partially verified |
| Cooperativa Valle dei Cavalieri | Italy | Emilia-Romagna | Commons and belonging | Yes, it houses an agriturismo, restaurant and shop | Verified |
| Cvtà Street Fest | Italy | Molise | Art and territory | Village open all year to see the murals, with a festival one weekend | Verified |
| Habitat Microaree | Italy | Friuli-Venezia Giulia | Civic labs and participation | Yes, neighbourhood premises open to the community | Partially verified |
| Kilowatt Kilowatt Societa Cooperativa | Italy | Emilia-Romagna | Civic design collectives | Its base, Le Serre dei Giardini Margherita, is a public space open to visitors | Verified |
| Labsus Labsus, Laboratorio per la sussidiarietà | Italy | Nationwide | Civic design collectives | Online platform | Verified |
| Lama LAMA Impresa Sociale | Italy | Toscana | Civic design collectives | Not a public space: it works on commission and on its own projects | Partially verified |
| Le Regole del Comelico | Italy | Veneto | Third place | Yes, the Museo Algudnei in Candide documents its history and workings | Partially verified |
| Magnifica Comunità di Fiemme | Italy | Trentino-Alto Adige | Third place | Yes, the Palazzo houses a museum and picture gallery open to visitors | Verified |
| Partecipanza Agraria di Nonantola | Italy | Emilia-Romagna | Third place | Yes, premises with a permanent exhibition and acetaia, by appointment | Partially verified |
| Regolamento dei beni comuni di Genova | Italy | Liguria | Participatory urbanism | Not applicable: a legal framework, not a single physical space | Verified |
| Regolamento sui beni comuni de Bolonia Regolamento per la cura e rigenerazione dei beni comuni urbani | Italy | Emilia-Romagna | Participatory urbanism | Not applicable: a legal framework, not a single physical space | Verified |
| Regole d'Ampezzo Regole ampezzane | Italy | Veneto | Commons and belonging | Yes, it includes a museum and paths across its territory | Verified |
| Réseau des Consorteries et des biens communs de la Vallée d'Aoste | Italy | Valle d'Aosta | Commons and belonging | No, it is an association with no regular premises to visit | Partially verified |
| Rete Nazionale delle Case del Quartiere Rete delle Case del Quartiere | Italy | Nationwide | Commons and belonging | Yes (each house with its own hours) | Partially verified |
| Riabitare l'Italia | Italy | Nationwide | Civic design collectives | Not a physical space: it convenes gatherings and publishes online | Partially verified |
| Università Agraria di Viepri Comunanza Agraria di Viepri | Italy | Umbria | Third place | Commonly used land (forest and pasture), governance visible at the annual assembly | Partially verified |
| Wonder Grottole | Italy | Basilicata | Reuse of vacancy | Lodging and guided village tours, booking through the website | Verified |
| Zappata Romana | Italy | Lazio | Civic food | The listed gardens are visited individually; the platform itself is an online map | Partially verified |
| Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) y Community Architects Network (CAN) | Thailand | Nationwide | Civic design collectives | No, it is a regional network | Verified |
| Alternative Agriculture Network Isan เครือข่ายเกษตรกรรมทางเลือกภาคอีสาน | Thailand | Northeast (Isan) | Civic food | No, it is a network; there are green markets and farms that host visits | Verified |
| Baan Mankong, programa de vivienda segura บ้านมั่นคง | Thailand | Nationwide | Participatory urbanism | No, it is a programme | Verified |
| Baan Mankong a escala de ciudad en Uttaradit บ้านมั่นคง อุตรดิตถ์ | Thailand | North | Participatory urbanism | No, it is a programme | Verified |
| Bangkok City Lab ศูนย์ทดลองเมือง | Thailand | Bangkok | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a municipal lab | Verified |
| Fondo comunitario de 200.000 baht de Bangkok โครงการชุมชนเข้มแข็ง | Thailand | Bangkok | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a municipal programme | Verified |
| Vivienda en los canales Lat Phrao y Prem Prachakorn บ้านมั่นคงริมคลอง | Thailand | Bangkok | Participatory urbanism | No, it is a programme; the rebuilt neighbourhoods are inhabited | Verified |
| Chiang Mai Breath Council สภาลมหายใจเชียงใหม่ | Thailand | North | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a programme | Verified |
| CODI, Community Organizations Development Institute สถาบันพัฒนาองค์กรชุมชน | Thailand | Nationwide | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a public institution | Verified |
| Duang Prateep Foundation มูลนิธิดวงประทีป | Thailand | Bangkok | Commons and belonging | No, it is a foundation; it works inside an inhabited neighbourhood | Verified |
| Huay Hin Lad Nai ห้วยหินลาดใน | Thailand | North | Commons and belonging | Only by prior arrangement with the community; it is a village inside a national park | Partially verified |
| iLaw, Internet Dialogue on Law Reform ไอลอว์ | Thailand | Nationwide | Civic labs and participation | No, it is an organisation | Verified |
| Jai Baan Studio ใจบ้านสตูดิโอ | Thailand | North | Civic design collectives | No, it is a studio; its projects are in Chiang Mai neighbourhoods | Verified |
| Khon Kaen Manifesto ขอนแก่นแมนิเฟสโต้ | Thailand | Northeast (Isan) | Art and territory | No, it was a pop-up biennial in abandoned buildings | Partially verified |
| Khon Kaen Think Tank (KKTT) y el modelo Khon Kaen | Thailand | Northeast (Isan) | Participatory urbanism | No, it is a programme | Partially verified |
| Guardianes del dugongo de Ko Libong | Thailand | South | Commons and belonging | No, it is a residents' network; the island can be visited, respect protected areas | Partially verified |
| Mae Kha City Lab แม่ข่าเปลี่ยน เชียงใหม่ | Thailand | North | Civic labs and participation | Yes, office on Rakaeng Road and guided walks along the canal | Verified |
| MAYDAY! กลุ่มเมล์เดย์ | Thailand | Bangkok | Civic design collectives | No, it is a collective; its signs can be seen at bus stops | Partially verified |
| Grupo de conservación del manglar de Ban Pred Nai บ้านเปร็ดใน | Thailand | East | Commons and belonging | Yes, through the community learning centre; best by prior arrangement | Partially verified |
| Songkhla Heritage Trust ภาคีคนรักเมืองสงขลา | Thailand | South | Participatory urbanism | No, it is an association; its work can be seen in the old town | Partially verified |
| Thai City Farm สวนผักคนเมือง | Thailand | Central | Civic food | No, it is a network; some gardens and training centres accept visits | Verified |
| Thailand Biennale | Thailand | Nationwide | Art and territory | No, it is a programme; each edition can be visited in its province | Partially verified |
| Traffy Fondue | Thailand | Bangkok | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a digital platform | Verified |
| Urban Design and Development Center (UddC) ศูนย์ออกแบบและพัฒนาเมือง | Thailand | Bangkok | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a research and design centre | Verified |
| Urban Studies Lab (USL) | Thailand | Bangkok | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a research lab; it works from the Ford Resource and Engagement Center in Nang Loeng | Verified |
| We!Park | Thailand | Bangkok | Participatory urbanism | Yes, its parks are public and open | Verified |
| WeVis | Thailand | Nationwide | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a digital platform | Verified |
| Association Ecotouristique de Konglor-Natane (AEKN) ສທກນ | Laos | Central | Commons and belonging | No, it is an association; the cave can be visited with village boatmen | Verified |
| Ban Mano Pond Committee | Laos | North | Commons and belonging | No, it is a neighbourhood committee | Partially verified |
| Ban Sai Lao-Lao Cooperative | Laos | South | Civic food | No, it is a cooperative | Verified |
| Beung Kiat Ngong Wetland and Ban Kiet Ngong | Laos | South | Commons and belonging | No, it is co-management among villages; village tourism is not confirmed to continue | Verified |
| Coffee Producers Cooperative (CPC) | Laos | South | Civic food | No, it is a cooperative | Verified |
| Children's Cultural Centres Network ສູນວັດທະນະທຳເດັກ | Laos | Nationwide | Art and territory | No, it is a network; its centres are public and open to children and teenagers | Verified |
| Community Learning Centres (CLC) | Laos | Nationwide | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a programme; the centres are in the villages | Partially verified |
| Community Radio for Development ສະຖານີວິທະຍຸຊຸມຊົນ ເພື່ອການພັດທະນາ | Laos | Nationwide | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a network of district stations | Verified |
| Fish Conservation Zones (FCZ) ວັງສະຫງວນ | Laos | Nationwide | Commons and belonging | No, it is a village practice | Verified |
| FOMACOP Village Forestry (Dong Sithouane and Dong Phousoi) | Laos | Central | Commons and belonging | No, it was a programme (1995-2000) | Verified |
| Houaphanh Silk Promotion Association | Laos | North | Art and territory | No, it is an association | Partially verified |
| Houaphanh Village Bamboo Forests (BNDA) | Laos | North | Commons and belonging | No, it is a programme | Partially verified |
| Jhai Coffee Farmers Cooperative (JCFC) | Laos | South | Civic food | No, it is a cooperative | Partially verified |
| Kaeng Nyui Waterfall (Ban Naduang) | Laos | Central | Commons and belonging | No, it is a village group; the waterfall can be visited for an entry fee collected by residents | Partially verified |
| Khong Fisheries Co-management | Laos | South | Commons and belonging | No, they are village regulations | Verified |
| Komaen Tea Promotion Association | Laos | North | Civic food | No, it is an association | Partially verified |
| Lao CSO Coordination Committee (LCCC) | Laos | Nationwide | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a network; it holds fairs open to the public | Verified |
| Lao Farmers' Association (LFA) ສະມາຄົມຊາວກະສິກອນລາວ | Laos | Nationwide | Civic food | No, it is an association | Verified |
| Maison du Patrimoine (Luang Prabang) | Laos | North | Participatory urbanism | No, it is a public office; its work can be seen in the protected old town | Verified |
| Meung Tea Producers Cooperative (MTPC) | Laos | North | Civic food | No, it is a cooperative | Partially verified |
| Nam Ha Ecotourism Project | Laos | North | Commons and belonging | No, it was a programme; treks are now booked through private agencies | Verified |
| Nam Nern Night Safari | Laos | North | Commons and belonging | No, it is a programme; the 24-hour boat trip is booked at namet.org | Verified |
| Nam Theun 2 Reservoir Fisheries | Laos | Central | Commons and belonging | No, it is a programme | Verified |
| Ban Nampheng Bitter Bamboo Group | Laos | North | Commons and belonging | No, it is a village group | Partially verified |
| Northern Mekong Fish Conservation Zones | Laos | North | Commons and belonging | No, it is a network of villages | Partially verified |
| Nyot Ou Tea Cooperative | Laos | North | Civic food | No, it is a cooperative | Partially verified |
| Oma Cultural Intellectual Property Rights | Laos | North | Commons and belonging | No, it is a programme | Verified |
| PADETC, Participatory Development Training Centre | Laos | Nationwide | Civic labs and participation | No, it closed in 2019 | Verified |
| Pak Peung Wetland Fishway | Laos | Central | Commons and belonging | No, it is a fishery managed by six villages | Verified |
| PAKA, Participatory Development Knowledge Agency | Laos | Nationwide | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a training organisation | Verified |
| Plain of Jars Village Site Contracts ທົ່ງໄຫຫີນ | Laos | North | Commons and belonging | No, it is a programme; the sites can be visited with a ticket | Verified |
| Poverty Reduction Fund (PRF) | Laos | Nationwide | Civic labs and participation | No, it is a programme | Verified |
| Sangthong Communal Land Titles | Laos | Vientiane | Commons and belonging | No, it is a land titling scheme; the forests belong to the villages | Verified |
| Savannakhet Eco-guide Association (Katang Trail and Dong Natad) | Laos | Central | Commons and belonging | No, it is an association; its routes are not confirmed to be running | Verified |
| Sekong Community Forests and Fish Protection Zones | Laos | South | Commons and belonging | No, it is a programme | Partially verified |
| Vientiane Rescue 1623 ໜ່ວຍກູ້ໄພມູນນິທິ 1623 | Laos | Vientiane | Commons and belonging | No, it is a volunteer rescue service | Partially verified |
| Women's Savings Groups and CDEC ກຸ່ມທ້ອນເງິນແມ່ຍິງ | Laos | Nationwide | Commons and belonging | No, it is a network of savings groups | Verified |
| Xe Champhone Crocodile Village Committees | Laos | Central | Commons and belonging | No, they are village committees | Verified |
| Zero Waste Laos | Laos | Nationwide | Civic labs and participation | No, it is an association | Verified |
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