“The Open Centre” is an initiative aiming at affecting long-term change in the public space of Poznań, with special focus on the city centre. It is a forum of meetings and exchange of ideas and experience addressed at a variety of communities and stakeholders. It is an ideological continuation and powerful development of the activities initiated during the Poznań Design Festiwal and of the informal initiative known as “Otwarte” [Open], active in the city in the years 2012-2015.
The Centre is moreover an embryo of a city think tank, a platform of organisation of meetings, exchange of concepts, ideas and solutions furthering innovative and city-friendly actions in the fields of architecture, design and urban planning.
In 2017 The Centre will launch three quarter programs dedicated to the green areas, housing and commerce in the city. There will be supplementary lectures by experienced practitioners, exhibitions, debates, walking tours, and workshops.
The activities carried out by The Centre, like the urban structure of Poznań, are divided into quarters of similar agendas and a number of projects. The synergy of all the above activities is to contribute to positive and permanent changes in the public space of Poznań.
Complementary educational projects as well as exhibitions and workshops are supposed to inspire, educate and, last but not least, bring together those who care about Poznań and its growth. The Centre strongly appreciates organic team work as a tool of city development.
The aim of The Centre is moreover to aggregate dispersed or previously unknown data on public space and its resources with a view to their being used by public entities and organisations.
Furthermore, a long-term objective of The Centre is to contribute to the creation in Poznań of a museum/centre of architecture, design and urban planning.