The Givebox is a closet-sized box, newly built along a sidewalk in Mitte, that enables perfect strangers to share with one another. The box is filled with a rotating array of donated second-hand goods, from clothing, books and DVDs to appliances, crockery, and artwork. Users who help themselves to freebies are encouraged to add to the Givebox, ensuring that the independent project sustains itself. Check the Facebook page for regular updates on the goodies up for grabs, or download instructions on building a Givebox for your very own 'hood.

Unter dem Gesichtspunkt "Confronting Comfort" haben die traditionelle Automobilmarke BMW und die Museumstiftung für zeitgenössische Kunst, das Guggenheim, sich nun zusammengetan und ein "Lab" entworfen, welches künftig um die Welt reisen wird. In diesem modernen Laboratorium geht es um Stadtplanung, um Komfort im urbanen Leben und besonders den Austausch mit den Menschen, die in den Städten leben, beziehungsweise den direkten Nachbarn. In dem ersten Projektstandord, New York, sind die Nachbarn die Bewohner der Lower East Side, denn dort hat sich das bewegliche Lab vom 3. August bis zum 16. Oktober in einer Häuserlücke niedergelassen.

For a city that once stood as the cradle of modern mass-production it’s a haunting reminder of the ephemerality of all things. For Marchand & Meffre, this reminder is core to the work “Detroit presents all archetypal buildings of an American city in a state of mummification” they say on their site. “Its splendid decaying monuments are, no less than the Pyramids of Egypt, the Coliseum of Rome, or the Acropolis in Athens, remnants of the passing of a great Empire”.

This is great: low-barrier tool to provide civic input on-site

WhipCar lets people rent out their own cars to neighbors.