URBAN DISCOVERY
SUBJECTIVE CITY MAPPING & URBAN HERITAGE STRATEGIES

CREATE

social capital

AMPLIFY

local voices

CELEBRATE

cultural heritage

OUR MISSION

Creating better cities is about making residents involved and invested in their neighbourhoods. We believe revitalisation of urban heritage and accentuating the identity of places is key in making people care for their environment.

WHAT WE DO

Urban Discovery is a creative agency that uses cultural mapping and design thinking to identify the DNA of places, unravel the different voices and historic layers, dissect pain points, locate local champions and solicit ideas from the community for the community. Our tools and methods equip residents to gain agency in their urban future.

We work in historic city districts. We help to build the business case for heritage revitalisation. Our clients are local governments, property developers, housing corporations and architects. With offices in Hong Kong and the Netherlands we are experienced in complex multicultural environments and international ‘shared’ heritage projects.

CULTURAL MAPPING

Revealing perceptions and layers of a place

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT

What if you put residents in the driver’s seat?

YOUTH & HERITAGE

Imaginative investigation by custodians of the urban future

HERITAGE STRATEGIES

Unlocking the value of cultural heritage in the city

Community-led heritage strategy?

OUR CLIENTS:

“The point is to invest in the understanding of local culture and history, because then people take ownership of it”

– Mr Saleem, HK Academy teacher

Our impact:

67

historic neighbourhoods

4090

local participants

2371

cultural assets mapped

28904

proud locals

 

 

 

 

Our guiding principles

global goal idiscover academy

GLOBAL GOAL #11 

“Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural heritage”  

new urban agenda idiscover academy

NEW URBAN AGENDA 

“Leverage culture and heritage for liveable cities and strong urban economies”   

UNESCO idiscover academy

WORLD HERITAGE CITIES

“Implementing the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach at local level”

AN AWARDWINNING JOURNEY