A City Made By People is a creative studio headquartered in Amsterdam, established in 2012. Its original concept provided travelers the opportunity to book time with local residents, aiming to deliver an authentic perspective on city life—beyond typical tourist attractions. By 2016, the organization shifted its focus from tours to storytelling, publishing insights about urban living through online content, printed publications, and speaker events, drawing on an international network that at its peak included over 25 city chapters and more than 100 correspondents. However, the cost and complexity of maintaining this expansive network, compounded by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, led to a reassessment of its direction.
In recent years, A City Made By People has concentrated its efforts as a creative studio, emphasizing storytelling, research-driven concepts, and the facilitation of community connections. Services include the development of creative concepts, photo and film documentation, interviews, and the organization of community events and explorations. Notable recent projects include the Good Place interview series and the People Place & Photography explorations carried out in 2023.
The studio prioritizes building a quality-driven, global community of engaged citizens, and works both independently and in partnership with other organizations to create projects that examine and articulate contemporary urban life. Its stated mission remains focused on making cities “more human” by fostering genuine connections between people and the places they inhabit. As of 2024, it continues to evolve, pursuing diverse collaborations and experiments in civic storytelling and engagement.