Change Stories is an international research partnership that aims to spark dialogue and learning through storytelling about urban changes that support sustainability, health, and wellbeing for all residents.
Storytelling urban change
Three case study cities are involved as partners and research sites – Belfast (Northern Ireland), Belo Horizonte (Brazil), and Bogotá (Colombia). Each city has achieved inspiring examples of sustainable urban development, including meeting the needs of marginalized groups. The actions in these cities support health through non-medical approaches, such as providing adequate housing and community services.
Stories about urban change are often simplified, giving credit to a single mayor or policy, which is not usually the full story.
When we say “change stories”, we mean a compilation of diverse narratives about how the city transformed over time.
Belfast collaborator, Agustina Martire of Queen’s University Belfast says “one of the things we find in the project is that there is a sense of humor, there’s joy. Even in the most difficult situations people have really interesting and heartwarming stories of family, of events that they have, of their own experiences of life. And that is something really important to show about these places.”
Subtitles for this video are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Support for this project was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.