City Week - report from the happening

On Monday, May 12, the City Week kicked off in Brno, an unconventional community and neighborhood celebration in public space. During the first three days of the festival, the streets of Brno hosted more than 50 events. By Sunday, May 18, when the City Week ends, there will be another 80 events of various types and focuses to see.
The transformation of the usual environment of streets and squares is based on voluntariness, spontaneity, and active participation of residents. The purpose of the event is to draw the city residents' attention to the untapped potential of public spaces as places for sharing and to encourage face-to-face meetings.
"In the first days, according to our estimate, about 500 people participated in the City Week events, which is much more than we expected,” revealed Barbara Herucová on behalf of the organizers. “In addition to author readings, recitation performances, or guided walks, people also engaged in everyday activities brought to the street, such as communal breakfasts or regular office work. Rather than a festival, we perceive the City Week as a taste of an active urban lifestyle,” adds Herucová.
From Thursday to Saturday, one of the focal points of the neighborhood celebrations will be Gorkého Street, which will be completely closed to traffic in certain areas due to events geared towards children and adults. This will allow children to ride their bikes or scooters without fear while organizers discuss with passersby the possibilities and benefits of improving public space. “The transformation of this street was requested by local café owners who noticed that the potential of a pleasant lively street is stifled especially by densely parked cars, leading to a lack of safety and comfort for pedestrians,” explains Robert Sedlák, why this street will be calmed.
The City Week follows the City Day - a holiday that falls on the third Wednesday of May - and also the neighborhood celebrations "Experience the City Differently," which have been organized by the Prague civic association Auto*mat since 2006. The organization of the event in Brno has been taken over by the new independent group URBAN DA BRNO, a loose association of individuals and representatives of Brno organizations active in the field of community and cultural activities, formed thanks to the project of the Partnership Foundation called RE public BRNO. “The aim of the RE public BRNO project is to combine the energy of a number of active citizens of Brno and jointly think about the possibilities of changes in Brno's public space. This platform has allowed us to meet and plan an event like the City Week together,” says Robert Sedlák from the Partnership Foundation. Besides him, the preparation involved significant contributions from the association Brno plays with the city and the theater Druhý pád.
“The first three days of the City Week already showed that there is interest in joint events in public space in Brno. We believe that this energy will manifest itself in the future, among other things, by making some public spaces in the city undergo permanent modifications to better meet the residents' demands,” concludes Jakub Korínek on behalf of the organizers.
More about the City Week 2014 event can be found at www.tydenmesta.cz, including the program, which is continuously updated.