IT TAKES
A CITY

participation and democracy go to town

We're in a global democratic crisis — but the most interesting experiments in fixing it aren't happening in national capitals. They're happening in neighborhoods. This podcast tells those stories.

SpotifyApple PodcastsAmazon MusicYouTube
About the Podcast

Practical tools for citizens who want to shape their cities

"It Takes a City" explores participatory tools — from budgeting to citizen assemblies to legislative theater — through conversations with practitioners who've used them. We focus on lesser-known stories from communities with limited resources, because if participation can work there, it can work anywhere.

Each episode unpacks real tactics, strategic dilemmas, and honest failures. Our goal is practical guidance you can put to work — whether you're a local government official, an activist, or a policy student.

Stefánia Kapronczay

Budapest, Hungary

Human rights defender and advocate for resilient democracies. Co-led the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union for over a decade, supporting citizens and grassroots organizations in making their voice heard under closing democratic space.

LinkedInWebsite

Flavio Proietti Pantosti

Rome, Italy

Social innovator focused on government, justice, and climate. Co-founded Officine Italia to transform Italy's public sector starting from cities, with a focus on youth and innovation. Served as advisor to the Italian Minister of Infrastructure on urban policies. Additionally founded Reoassunto, an organization providing skills training and job placement support to inmates to reduce recidivism.

LinkedIn

Episodes

Episode 01Budapest, Hungary

The Thread of Participation: From Campaigning to Governing a City

with Tessza Udvarhelyi, Vice Mayor of the 8th District of Budapest, Hungary

How can participatory processes become a winning edge in local elections, transform turnout and win a second mandate in a previously unthinkable district.

Participatory budgetingCommunity organizingElections
Episode 02Chimanimani, Zimbabwe

Dramatic Democracy: How Legislative Theater Transforms Confrontation

with Nyasha Frank Mpahlo, Executive Director of Green Governance Africa, Zimbabwe

Exploring how drama can bring community members together with government officials to better understand local problems and identify solutions, and how those solutions take place.

Legislative theaterClimate action
Episode 03Surakarta, Indonesia

What Children Know About Cities: Intergenerational Participation

with Nina Asterina, Program Manager & Bima Pratama Putra, Senior Urban Designer at Kota Kita Foundation, Indonesia

Kota Kita Foundation's pioneering work within the Surakarta Inclusive City Movement to embed children's voices, agency and intergenerational respect in urban planning and placemaking.

Co-designYouth participationUrban planning

More episodes out soon

Stay tuned.

Practitioners and Experts

First-hand experience from the field — successes, failures, and the strategic dilemmas nobody writes about.

Jon Alexander

Author & Co-founder — New Citizenship Project

Expert commentator. Author of "Citizens" and advocate for a shift from consumer to citizen culture in public life.

LinkedIn

Nina Asterina & Bima Pratama Putra

Kota Kita Foundation — Indonesia

Pioneered children's participation in urban planning within the Surakarta Inclusive City Movement.

LinkedIn (Nina)LinkedIn (Bima)

Dino Cantú-Pedraza

Founder, Aceleradora de Ciudades — Mexico

Works directly with 25 municipalities, proving that discipline and finding the right champion matter more than technology.

LinkedIn

Graça Fonseca

Former Deputy Mayor & Minister — Lisbon, Portugal

Designed Lisbon's participatory budget during the financial crisis and later took participation to the national stage as Minister of Culture.

LinkedIn

Natalia Herbst

Latin America Strategy & Development Director — Better Politics Foundation

Expert commentator. Researcher focused on participatory governance and democratic innovation in Latin America and beyond.

LinkedIn

Sowmya Kidambi & Suchi Pande

Social Audit Practitioners — India & USA

Traced social audits from grassroots activism to national regulation, creating accountability frameworks for vulnerable populations.

LinkedIn (Sowmya)LinkedIn (Suchi)

Carl Henrik Knutsen

Professor — University of Oslo, Norway

Makes the economic case for democracy: research showing democracies produce higher growth and better human development outcomes.

LinkedIn

Vasilika Laska

Municipality of Lezhë — Albania

Led the Zero Debt participatory process, opening municipal financial planning to 450+ citizens and stakeholders.

Nyasha Frank Mpahlo

Green Governance Africa — Zimbabwe

Brought legislative theater to climate-affected communities, transforming confrontation between youth and government into collaboration.

LinkedIn

Katy Rubin

Founder — The People Act, Legislative Theatre

Expert commentator. Pioneer of legislative theatre as a tool for policy change, working with communities and governments across the US and UK.

LinkedIn

Mitch Stripling

Columbia University — New York City, USA

Studies how crises open space for collective creativity and challenge the assumption that urgency means no time to listen.

LinkedIn

Tessza Udvarhelyi

Vice Mayor — Budapest, Hungary

Flipped an unwinnable Budapest district twice through distributed leadership and daily participatory work under authoritarian national politics.

LinkedIn

Amalia Zepou

Former Vice Mayor — Athens, Greece

Built the synAthina platform from scratch, mobilizing citizens into public problem-solving during the financial crisis.

LinkedIn
Stay Connected

New episodes in your inbox

No spam. Just updates on the podcast.