GRIND

28/01/2017

" Cities keen to regenerate former industrial sites or watersides see their skylines become starchitect ghettos as they splash cash to attract the big name. Starchitecture perfectly encapsulates the architecture of our age, the city of celebrity, selfies and social media. "

Big-name architects have existed for decades but today’s celebrity culture is ideally suited to the blockbuster builder

16/11/2016

In Athens, the group Communitism is renovating historic buildings of the neighbourhood, bringing long-term residents together with groups including craftspeople and refugee-support volunteers. An inspiring example of community-led neighbourhood regeneration.

One group seeks to preserve the Greek capital's neglected beauty.

29/06/2015

Reflecting on urban commons, beyond community gardens.
"How is it that the pioneers of a new urban politics are always planting kale and rhubarb? Can commoning be scaled up to influence the workings of a metropolis – able to tackle questions of housing, energy use, food distribution and clean air? "

A rise in commonly owned spaces and services hopes to reclaim the city for the public good, providing a participatory alternative to exclusive urban development. But how can it be upscaled from local garden projects?

18/05/2015

Architecture collective ASSEMBLE's urban regeneration project shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2015 !

It’s not quite a pickled calf – but the rebirth of a troubled Toxteth community might be art. The story of the street and the young architects succeeding where every official plan has failed has caught the art world’s attention

30/04/2015

We are looking forward to the Future Tyger Creative Talk ! Check out the Greater Tygerberg Partnership (http://gtp.org.za), an exciting initiative to facilitate the inclusive and innovative regeneration of the wider Voortrekker Road Corridor area in Cape Town.

You're invited to the third Future Tyger event on 22 May which features Alice Cabaret, Director of Grind (Global Regeneration Initiative for Neighbourhood Development). Future Tyger #3: Alice Cabaret Date: 22 May Time: 9am RSVP: [email protected] before 15 May This is a free breakfast ev…

10/04/2015

To all the GRIND JHB volunteers who contributed to project in The Maboneng Precinct!

Betty Fox facade is an artwork by street artist r1. The idea was to breathe new life into a neglected wall by installing 120 wooden panels on its facade. The reclaimed wood was sourced from local informal businesses. The wood was treated and varnished, then rearranged into geometric shapes. The mural includes over a thousand steal industrial bolts. The length of the mural stretches over 20 meters by 2.5 in height.

Videographer: Jabulani Khwela (Jeppestown).
Music: Khruang Bin - A Calf Born In Winter.
Edited by r1. Created by r1. 2015

This is a commissioned project for a new grocery store in downtown Johannesburg (Maboneng Precinct). The idea was to breathe new life into a neglected wall by installing…

02/04/2015

An inspiring story about creative reconversion and activation of abandoned buildings in Chicago.

Theaster Gates, a potter by training and a social activist by calling, wanted to do something about the sorry state of his neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. So he did, transforming abandoned buildings to create community hubs that connect and inspire those who still live there (and draw in…

18/03/2015

GRIND Cities teamed up with the the Google Art Project to make art from the streets accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Discover The Maboneng Precinct street art exhibition online at : https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/exhibit/maboneng-precinct/fwIS50Gz3QT_IQ

The Google Cultural Institute brings together millions of artifacts from multiple partners, with the stories that bring them to life, in a virtual museum.

08/03/2015

How does the "Flat Wite economy" impact our cities ?
Find out in this Sunday read, brought to you by GRIND.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/08/can-hipsters-save-the-world

14/01/2015

"Living in densely populated, ethnically diverse neighborhoods lead “open to experience” types to be happier with their lives".

Extroverts are more likely to be drawn to a city's center, for example.

26/11/2014

The Knight Cities Podcast features GRIND this week! A conversation between GRIND director Alice Cabaret and Carol Coletta from the Knight Foundation (USA).

16/11/2014

Sunday Ted Talk, brought to you by GRIND

Artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn create community art by painting entire neighborhoods, and involving those who live there -- from the favelas of Rio to the streets of North Philadelphia. What's made their projects succeed? In this funny and inspiring talk, the artists explain their art-first…