This exhibition was part of a Parallel Program curated and designed by CLUSTER and Loom during the 12th World Urban Forum; it showcased the work of ‘Grounded Urban Practices’ (GUPs) from a wide range of African and European cities. It aimed to serve as a contextualisation for the discussions of the Parallel Program, which took place in Cairo from 5-8 November 2024.

The term grounded urban practices was coined a few years ago by CLUSTER and the Amsterdam-based design studio Non-fiction to reflect on a new generation of practices which emerged in Cairo after the 2011 revolution and in Amsterdam/Rotterdam in the wake of the 2008-2012 financial crisis. An in-depth study by CLUSTER and Non-fiction showed that many of these newly established practices share various commonalities. All of them use space as a key agent for change, are rooted in communities, social movements or a certain local area, are critical of the status quo, and all experiment with legal, financial and organizational models as well as strategies, methods and tools.

This exhibition was organized into three zones: an overview of the GUPs which participated in the research and network meetings taking places in Cairo and Amsterdam/Rotterdam (2019) and Berlin (2020); insights on the new GUPs from Tunis, Tanger, Johannesburg, Addis Abeba, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Cairo participating in the Parallel Program in November 2024; and an overview and miniature model of the Community Care Vehicle. Engaging one of the grounded practices in Cairo, VeryNile, the design of the exhibition utilizes compressed sheets of recycled plastic with varying colors as the building unit. The overall scheme aimed at achieving simplicity, ease of assembly and possibility for reuse. The varying colors of the compressed sheets were used for clear categorization of the zones and areas of focus. The overall curation was composed of introductory hanging panels for each focus area/city and stands with tilted panels, for visibility, presenting the GUPs.