WHAT IS IT FOR?
SHIFT emerged from a rather obsessive question: what do people already know about the places they live, and why don’t we have better tools to think about it?
WHAT IS IT FOR?
The answer, after 2 decades of watching cities function (and watching people fight to reshape them) is this: a periodic, themed system of tools for playful learning, organising, and informed decision-making. It’s designed for communities, grassroots organisations, educators, universities, and civic teams who want to think together, test ideas, and make decisions that actually reflect their contexts, and how they live. SHIFT works anywhere because it’s made up of materials built for the collective: ways to bring to the surface the knowledge that groups already hold, but rarely have the machinery to use effectively.
WHAT IS IT FOR?
You might use it for strategy and planning. You might use it for gaming and storytelling, or teaching and learning. You might curate programmes and activities. There’s no single correct answer, which is, after all, the point.
WHO IS IT FOR?
SHIFT #1 is designed for groups navigating complex urban questions together. That could mean you’re a high-schooler, a community group member, or a professional. It could mean your organisation works across disciplines and sectors, or that you’re a practitioner rather than a specialist. The system doesn’t discriminate. From grassroots organisers and educators to civic teams and institutional thinkers—anyone looking for a way to work collectively will find a way to make it work.
THE SYSTEM
SHIFT operates on a simple principle: groups share stories and histories; they imagine futures and possibilities; they learn concepts both old and new. The system guides you through three linked capacities, each building on the last.
First, you build a shared understanding of context, systems, and histories. Then you begin imagining futures, alternatives, and possibilities. Finally, you move into acting, strategising, deciding, and adapting together.
THE SYSTEM
SHIFT is designed for versatility and agility, opening up endless possibilities. It is highly adaptable, giving organisations and communities a way to curate their own stories and find their own voice. Any group will discover multiple ways to make it work.
THE SYSTEM
The SHIFT case is more than a container. The case itself is a kind of portable starter-kit infrastructure: it can be used for gathering the tools and ideas you’re already developing, reformatting them so they can move across spaces, engage different communities, and communicate ideas more widely. Think of it as infrastructure for thinking.
WHAT’S INSIDE?
SHIFT #1 contains 28 separate items—games, music, case studies, ideas, reporting—organised around two linked modes that move groups from understanding to action.
EXPLORE & THINK
Stories, ideas and perspectives, data and information to broaden your horizons.
Cityscapes Magazine
168 pages of journalism, opinion, and photography that capture the genuine complexity of contemporary urban life. You’ll meet inspiring people, discover groundbreaking ideas, and eavesdrop on fascinating conversations with experts in technology, health, architecture, transportation, and design.
Case Studies
Four groundbreaking initiatives from across the global South, examined closely: the Sihlanzimvelo Stream Cleaning Programme in Durban; the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in Bangalore; the Library Parks System in Medellín; and Seme City in Benin. What worked, what failed, the unvarnished truth of how it actually operates.
Data Stories
Six posters that decode the key numbers shaping urban development around the world. The kinds of numbers that matter.
Insights
Ten booklets featuring conversations with leading global South experts on reframing how we imagine and rebuild a global system in desperate need of reform. Practitioners, activists, academics, and policymakers share hard-won insights from years of grounded work. Not theory. Evidence.
PLAY & ADAPT
Immersive, playful ways to bring groups together, learn from proven tactics, and imagine better futures.
Timewarp Boardgame
A collaborative game designed to spark the kind of conversations that matter: where you live, the collective future you dream of for your family, friends, and community.
Card Deck
The TimeWarp A-Z card deck engages users of all ages with smart, funny, and challenging ideas. It helps people discover and share stories about where they live, their shared spaces, and decide together what actually matters most.
Tactics
Trace the evolution of tactics used by advocates for equality and sustainable change. Three components—the Atlas of Tactics, Timeline, and Catalogue—offer a unique lens for adapting and implementing strategies that push for genuine reform.
Music
Izandla: a specially commissioned, 45-minute urban musical odyssey by South African composer Neo Muyanga. Limited edition. The sort of thing that brings energy to a space and resonates across cultures.
GETTING SHIFT
SHIFT is available in different formats to suit varied contexts and capacities. Because there’s no single right way to organise collectively.
Retail Edition
Individual objects from SHIFT #1 available in limited edition.
Essential Edition
For small groups. A boxed edition consisting of all items but without the limited edition travel and exhibition case. Available for a limited period.
Catalyst Edition
For institutions wanting to support wider access, assist with localisation, and ensure the work spreads beyond their own organisations and contexts. Available with online extras and other additional access.