The URBANIA exhibition in Brno will reveal what city management and development looks like

Brno – The Interactive Exhibition URBANIA in Brno will offer its visitors the opportunity to try out city management from September 6 to October 3. The exhibition in the former Brno prison on Bratislavská Street is free, but prior registration on the exhibition's website is necessary. Up to eight people can visit the exhibition at once. The group will take over the management of an imaginary city for just under two hours and will participate in its development.

"The main motivation for creating this exhibition was to collaborate with foreign partners. We saw that they don’t have fundamentally different processes, larger budgets, or more educated people. The main difference lies in the work culture and mindset. We have tried to break all this down into principles that we offer here for discussion," explained one of the exhibition's authors Adam Pajgrt from the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague (IPR Praha), who aims to familiarize the public with the city’s infrastructure.

In a dimly lit room, there are eight panels representing neighborhoods where participants will rotate. Each represents one principle of city management. They will encounter communication, participation, organization, intersectoral cooperation, strategy, or pilot projects.

Participants will learn about the city’s needs, for example, by listening to opinions on a newly built community center or through a fictional video call with a grandmother – a participant in a new project for seniors. After visiting all stations, group members discuss. "The exhibition gives us the opportunity, through debate with participants, to understand what residents expect from city management. We want to show that we truly care about the future of Brno," said Deputy Mayor Tomáš Koláčný (Pirates).

"The exhibition is intended for everyone who wants to gain a more comprehensive and clearer idea of what city management entails and the challenges that officials face," explained Pajgrt. IPR Praha loaned the exhibition to Brno. URBANIA premiered last year in the capital and also headed to Písek this summer.