Global
Initiative

for regenerative, resilient, open cities.

The challenge

Climate breakdown and social exclusion require us to reinvent the fundamental systems we depend upon, a task that requires courage, coherence, and long-term thinking.

We need a deep transformation of how we organise production and consumption in cities to move away from complex global supply chains and towards regenerative futures.

Our answer

Whitepaper: Download Latest Research on Global Connected Data

Multiscale thinking

We work at many scales to have maximum impact. Our approach rescales production using systems thinking from the domestic scale to the global scale.

Prototype the City

Cities are flexible playgrounds of ideas and initiatives. Built by and for humans they provide the opportunity for experimentation within a bioregional context.

Engage Real People

Fab City builds on a city’s heritage, aiming to engage existing initiatives in a narrative of productivity and regeneration. We connect local ecosystems with global networks.

Open Collaboration

Makers, entrepreneurs, academics, city officials, planners, and civic organisations. We promote open collaboration between stakeholders using a common approach to share and iterate.

Fab City Pledge Guide: Action Plan To Pledge To Become Fab City

Advocate, everywhere

Everyone everywhere can advocate for productive futures. Regenerating our planetary systems needs citizens to be policymakers. We empower everyone to make their voice heard.

How can cities become more resilient?

Our methodology and tools
  • PITO to DIDO
  • Urbanists and Innovation Thought leaders
  • Chief Sustainability Officers
  • Entrepreneurs and Community Leaders
  • Business Stategists and Designers

What's the benefit of
a global initiative?

Since 2014 our distributed community has been dedicated to a long-term vision to make cities produce (almost) everything they consume by 2054. We are organised to have maximum impact on social inequality, environmental regeneration, digital innovation, and cultural heritage at the local and global level to ultimately contribute to the aims of the Global Green New Deal.

Our Network of cities and regions brings urgent attention to the resources, community engagement, and political action needed to achieve the challenge locally, and they collaborate and share knowledge globally. Our Collective is dedicated to innovative responses in academia, business, and policy, they give their time and effort to steward our 40-year roadmap and strategic agenda. At our heart is the Fab Lab Network, a globally distributed network of domestic-scale fabrication laboratories founded by researchers at MIT in Boston, that provide access to the tools and knowledge to ‘make anything’.

This provides a distributed infrastructure and global community that is the foundation for the Fab City Full Stack approach – a multi-scale approach for long-term urban transformation.

We scale the innovation logic of the Fab
Lab to the city level and beyond.

Our roadmap towards 2054

2011-2014
Awareness

Launched in Fab7 Lima.
Fab City starts to be on the agenda of the Fab Lab Network.

Annual Report 2022: Discover Globally Connected Data

2014-2018
Launch

At the Fab10 Barcelona closing event, the Mayor announces the 2054 challenge.

Group of people from the Fab City community collaborating and innovating towards a sustainable future.

2018-2020
Consolidation

The Fab City Foundation is founded in e-Estonia.
The Full Stack is launched.

2021-2025
Growth

The strategic action plan based on the Full Stack is developed with the global initiative.
Products and programs of the Foundation are expanded to meet the global challenge.

Our expert contributors

Neil Gershenfeld

Neil Gershenfeld

Director Center for Bits and Atoms at MIT

Sherry Lassiter

Sherry Lassiter

Fab Foundation

Kate Raworth

Kate Raworth

Founder Doughnut Economics Action Lab

Liz Corbin

Liz Corbin

Co-funder and CEO Materiom

Julie Hjort

Julie Hjort

Chair of the Board
Danish Design Centre

Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno

Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno

Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy

Manu Prakash

Manu Prakash

Founder Prakash Lab Stanford

I Made Janur Yasa

I Made Janur Yasa

Founder Plastic Exchange

Ilham Habibie

Ilham Habibie

Chairman of The Habibie Center

Daniel Ibåñez

Daniel Ibåñez

Director of IAAC

Erkki Karo

Erkki Karo

TalTech

Francesco Cingolani

Francesco Cingolani

Volumes, Fab City Grand Paris

Our trusted collaborators

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