5 core values: Understanding (the complexity of the issue), Insight (to or clarification of non-quantitative experiences of those affected), Fighting ableism (or ’one way of life in cities’), Inclusion, Tolerance.

The issue: In architecture, one of the tasks are to design spaces with certain functionalities that induce certain atmospheres through its spatial frame and social life. Choosing the infrastructure of a space is to embody the space with ideas of what that space should be. It is equivalent to pointing the kind of social life, which is to be lived there, in a certain direction.

Cities are competing with each other to have a high ’livability’ score – that is, being attractive to investments and tourists – which may guide investments in the direction of building cities that are ’lively’ in a specific way: We have seen an architectural as well as a policy-based bias towards to the young and cool population (and mostly towards sports where men are over-represented). The transformation of ‘boring’ or ‘non-utilized’ places into ‘lively’ places are the invisible exclusion of other (uncompetitive/economically uninteresting) groups. Whenever a public space is transformed into a fitness-scape, then older people, people with disabilities or people who simply enjoy tranquility have the risk of being pushed out of their public spaces and into their private ones. ‘Livable’ public spaces in cities then become unlivable for some.

Convening: This convening should be a Furphy Competition/Festival/Slam. A furphy is a story-telling discipline that allows for untruthfulness and absurdity while conveying true and thoughtful thinking. Unlike a poetry-slam which arguably dictates certain forms (and perhaps certain codes of conduct), furphies allow to use any form. Furphies may be funny, sad or serious, play with irony or deep skepticism (therefore, these stories should offer a platform of getting an understanding of the issue (first value)). They offer a valve for many emotions accompanied with the protective distance of fiction. They may present real-world characters with certain agencies within certain story frames that allow for conveying the true absurdities of everyday experience. It is this experience of living in cities where people are excluded that we need (from many perspectives incl. the excluded), and telling untrue true stories is a way to convey such quite non-quantitative information/life-experiences (thus offering insight, second value and fighting ableism, third value).

This event should be held (perhaps several times) in a public park. The best furphies should be published in a freely distributed magazine having high visibility. At this event, there is an audience and storytellers. The audience could rank the best, most thoughtful, or funniest stories. Storytellers should not necessarily be professional speakers, but could be anyone, and high inclusion is encouraged (esp. since everyone is able to tell a sensical nonsense story) (inclusion, fourth value). The premise for the event is the above pitch concerning livable cities. Therefore, it is important to have a broad range of players in on this event: investors, city planners, young people and excluded populations. Esp. the excluded should be able to tell stories (thus offering the fifth value, tolerance, by design). In this way, the communities in concern receive a voice that does not come in the tone of formality vis-à-vis policy procedures.