Author Archives: Mustafa Sherif

I recently wrote a blog for Placemaking Europe about how storytelling can be a powerful tool in placemaking. Placemaking is not only about designing spaces, but also about people, their experiences, and the way we share those stories. Why storytelling matters How you can tell stories Storytelling can take many forms: A simple recipe forContinue reading “A blog about The Power of Storytelling in Placemaking”

Placemaking, placeinnovation, placewishing, placewashing, placebranding… place, place, place.. De senaste åren och även framåt ligger ett stort fokus på “place” och “public space”. Därför hör vi också fler nya begrepp och metoder. Men samtidigt ser vi också hur placemaking-metodiken ofta missbrukas och används på fel sätt, långt ifrån dess ursprungliga tanke om samskapande och lokalContinue reading “Placewashing eller Placemaking?”

Hur ser framtidens arkitektur och stadsutveckling egentligen ut?Arkitekturen påverkar hur vi lever, möts och mår – och i en tid av klimatkris, snabb teknikutveckling och förändrade livsmönster ställs helt nya krav på hur vi bygger våra städer. I det senaste avsnittet av Urbanistica Podcast – Cities for People gästas Mustafa Sherif av Thomas Sandell, chefsarkitekt,Continue reading “Thomas Sandell gästar Urbanistica Podcast – Ett samtal om framtidens arkitektur”

I’m honored to be invited as a guest speaker at the upcoming message.TALKs on July 17th, where we’ll dive into the topic of child-friendly cities – places that are not only designed for children, but with them. 🌍 How can cities become more livable for all by involving kids in the design process?🤝 What doesContinue reading “Speaking at message.TALKs – Creating for and with Kids: Livable Places and Engaging Designs”

Jag är glad och hedrad över att ha blivit inbjuden att delta i panelen på nästa PRATA PLATS – ett samtal som lyfter viktiga frågor om stadsutvecklingens verkliga påverkan. När? 27 augusti, kl. 15.00–17.00Var? Nyréns Arkitektkontor AB, Magnus Ladulåsgatan 63 Temat för samtalet är:Placemaking, Placewishing eller Placewashing – att förändra, eller bara få det attContinue reading “Panel – PRATA PLATS: Placemaking, Placewishing eller Placewashing?”

I was invited to speak at Alumni Night for the Sustainable Urban Planning and Design Master’s program at KTH Royal Institute of Technology.I shared my journey, from being a student who got rejected from over 100 jobs, to building a professional career as an Urbanist, Placemaker, and Studio Manager at AFRY. 🎮 I talked aboutContinue reading “Alumni Night”

Excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at PLACExNordic – The Place Attractiveness Conference, 12th – 13th May 2025The powerful theme is – Electrify Change I’ll be speaking about the Placemaking movement and why creating child-friendly places is so important. Children’s physical and mental well-being must be at the core of how we plan and design ourContinue reading “Speaker at PLACExNordic”

In a world increasingly defined by concrete and code, urban ecologist and technologist Nadina Galle is leading a quiet revolution: bringing nature back into our cities—not just with trees and parks, but with intention, empathy, and smart technology. Nadina joined Mustafa Sherif on the Urbanistica Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on why cities are losingContinue reading “The Nature of Our Cities “

🧐 If you like placing permanent “one-person benches” randomly in spaces between buildings, come to the front of the class!We have something to learn from people! ❌ While aesthetically beautiful benches may look appealing, placing them randomly often fails to add social value to communities. As Jan Gehl wrote in his book, people prefer toContinue reading “Can We Just Give People a Normal Bench?”