Pushing the boundaries of collaborative engagement, drawing urban thought leaders and changemakers together to build better cities.

TNOC FESTIVAL 2024

a three week series of interconnected events

VIRTUAL
15-26 April

BERLIN
4-7 June

SUBMISSION GUIDE (PDF)

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

2024 FESTIVAL PROSPECTUS

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2024 THEME

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN
DREAMS AND REALITY
IS ACTION

2024 FESTIVAL SPIRIT

TNOC Festival is knowledge-centered, knowledge-led, and action-driven. The 2024 theme of “Action” focuses our attention on translating knowledge from various sources to results on the ground.

We believe that knowledge comes from many sources.

We design innovative programming in multiple languages, across time zones, in our interconnected virtual and in person format.

We foster inclusivity and lower barriers to participation.

We intend to break down silos in cities by practicing active transdisciplinarity.

AN EVENT WITH A LASTING IMPACT

we curate a growing network of collaborators — a community that continues to work together after each festival

we encourage participants to publish essays, roundtables, findings, and other outputs after the event at TNOC’s website, which reaches over 100,000 readers a month, from 75+ countries

new in 2024, we will publish a digital book of tools and insights on action, co-produced by the participants of the Festival, with editorial leadership from TNOC

RADICALLY IMAGINATIVE PROGRAMMING

TNOC Festival programming is transdisciplinary and innovative. With multiple session types, the program is designed to push the boundaries of collaborative engagement by mixing the arts, sciences, urban practice fields, and performance to draw urban thought leaders and changemakers together to build better cities.

Can you propose a session? Yes. The submission portal opens 25 September 2023.

Note: We are raising money to ensure that session leaders can register for reduced or zero fees. We are not sure what we can offer yet, as fundraising is ongoing. Don’t let this be an impediment to submitting your proposal

Session Types

SEED SESSIONS
Small interactive workshops that explore an idea, project, or direct action in cities.

SKILLS SESSIONS
Interactive workshops where you preset or teach festival attendees a new skill or idea.

DIALOGUES AND KEYNOTES
Short talks and transdisciplinary conversations. Keynotes from diverse geographies and points of view.

FIELD TRIPS
Join live-narrated video tours through various cities around the world. There will also be in-person field trips in Berlin.

MICROTALKS
Short pre-recorded video talks submitted by you. A gallery of urban ideas from diverse thought leaders.

ART, STORY, FILM & PERFORMANCE
Attend a performance, listen to a reading, participate in collaborative art to build creative human-nature connections.

WORKING GROUPS
Create a meeting within a meeting where your team builds an idea hive, or cluster of seed sessions, within TNOC Festival.

Submit a Proposal!

Join the TNOC Festival and share your voice and ideas with the world.

We are accept proposals, starting 25 September, for:
seed sessions
skills sessions
field trips
artworks
and more…

Before you submit, check out the submission guide below. It will help you learn more about the different session types at #TNOCFestival2024

SUBMISSION GUIDEBOOK (PDF)

Partner with TNOC

EARTH SPONSOR

FOREST SPONSOR

TREE SPONSOR

SEED SPONSOR

VIEW PARTNERSHIP PACKAGE (PDF)

En Español

Em Português

If you’d like to discuss partnering with TNOC Festival, write us: mlisa.colbert@thenatureofcities.com

TNOC Festival 2024 Partners
so far…

Since 2019, TNOC Festival has enjoyed the support of multiple partners from across the globe. We are currently growing the list of supports and partners of 2024. Will you join us?

Some Program Highlights from TNOC Festival 2022

TNOC FESTIVAL 2022 PROGRAM

PLENARY HIGHLIGHTS

ART AND DOCUMENTARIES

MICROTALKS

About The Nature of Cities

We are The Nature of Cities (TNOC), and the word “of” modifies Nature to mean the character of cities, which we view through a green and blue and community lens. We believe the route to cities that are better for both people and nature is through transdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration. The mission of The Nature of Cities is to curate joined conversations about urbanism across ways of knowing and modes of action. We create transdisciplinary, publicly available, and widely disseminated programs, events, knowledge, and engagements for green city making. We strive for cities worldwide that are resilient, sustainable, livable, and just.

About the TNOC Festival Logo

Our Festival logo was designed by Frida Larios. It conveys a sense of human connection among us as we steward nature and community in cities. The seeds depicted in the logo are shared ideas both dispersed and gathered. Hands are common in Mayan symbology and can mean both to throw or scatter and to receive. In many traditions, the open hand signifies greeting, welcome, and openness.

Past TNOC Events

2019 SUMMIT – PARIS

2021 FESTIVAL – VIRTUAL

2022 FESTIVAL – VIRTUAL

Donating to the TNOC Festival

Thank you for considering a donation to TNOC festival. For this festival to be a success, attendance must be diverse and transdisciplinary in every sense, from south to north, and east to west. But often people, and especially practitioners, can struggle to pay for even modest registration fees. By donating to TNOC festival, you help support free entry for those who cannot pay and help us keep registration fees very low. We want to ensure that anyone who wants to attend the festival can do so. Thank you for generously supporting this effort.

A gift of any amount helps. We are grateful for your generosity.

Sincerely,
TNOC Festival team

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