Spread Stories Not the Virus

Over Spread Stories Not the Virus

'Spread stories, not the virus' is a platform for citizens to share their experiences and reflections in their locked-down cities. Our initiative collects stories that offer particular and alternative perspectives on the kind of city that emerges when people have to practice social distancing and are confined to their homes.

Our platform has rapidly grown to become a space where citizens from all over the world share creative, constructive and reflective stories. So far, we have published 100+ stories told by a diverse body of contributors, originating from cities all over the world.

THE TEAM BEHIND THE INITIATIVE As an international group of young urbanists, we saw our universities closed overnight and our cities go into lockdown. Confronted with these measures, we became intrigued by the new urban conditions that have emerged in the midst of the global outbreak of the Coronavirus.

We decided to dedicate our period of self-quarantine to collect, and spread, stories of cities and citizens around the world. Instead of echoing the dystopian images of abandoned streets that dominate the media coverage, we wanted to provide a platform for citizens to share their experiences and reflections in their cities on lockdown. On March 16th 2020, we launched our website - followed soon after by our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.