A City Made By People

What A City Made By People does

A City Made By People is a Netherlands-headquartered creative studio founded in 2012 by Robin Cox to produce urban storytelling content and community programming through a decentralized network of city correspondents. The studio operates across 20+ cities including Amsterdam (operational headquarters), Madrid, Vancouver, Chicago, Melbourne, Berlin, Bucharest, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Paris, Vienna, The Hague, and Antwerp. Its product surface comprises six offerings: the Good Place Podcast (conversations with citizens on public benches), the City Made By People Journal (a print publication sold via a Squarespace ecommerce storefront with EUR pricing and weight-based international shipping), an editorial stories/articles platform covering multiple cities, the City Talks event series (Amsterdam Talks, Bucharest Talks and themed experiences), the Local Heroes feature series, and the Map of Connection directory at thisisagoodplace.com.

The business generates revenue through three streams: one-time publication sales via the ecommerce store; transaction-based income from mixed paid and free event tickets (handled through Eventbrite); and recurring engagement revenue via Substack subscriptions and The Good Place podcast audience. Customer segmentation is horizontal and persona-led, with the primary audience being urban citizens interested in city life; secondary segments include local heroes and community organizers, city explorers and newcomers, and brands or municipalities seeking citizen engagement support. The go-to-market motion is community-led, leaning on local correspondents for content production and on branded events for physical activation, with distribution across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, the website, Substack, and Mailchimp.

The studio is privately held, registered in the Netherlands (Chamber of Commerce number 34373722), and shows no disclosed external investment, funding rounds, acquisitions, or institutional backing in source materials. Technology dependencies are entirely consumer-grade SaaS (Squarespace, Substack, Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Google Analytics); there is no proprietary software, AI/ML capability, mobile app, or API surface. Strategic partners fall into two tiers: core technology/integration partners (Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Substack, Zoku) and minor co-development/event partners (Taste Before You Waste, Catleya Wines, Miss Alé Espresso Bar, Pakhuis De Zwijger, Visit Antwerp, Melbourne Music Week, Gerador). No awards, patents, trademarks, or regulatory actions are on record.

Name

A City Made By People

Legal name

A City Made By People

Website

https://acitymadebypeople.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A City Made By People is a Netherlands-headquartered creative studio founded in 2012 that operates a decentralized network of correspondents across 20+ cities to produce urban storytelling through photography, film, podcasts, print journals, and ticketed community events, monetizing via publication sales, event transactions, and newsletter subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Studio & Community Media

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic & Municipal Festivals (City Days, Public Celebrations) (MPAGAEAA), Cultural & Community Festivals (Ticketed) (THAJAFAI)

Keywords

• Creative studio services
• Urban storytelling media
• Community events production
• Print journal publishing
• Citizen journalism network

Headquarters

HQ city

The Hague

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Publication Sales: Sale of printed journals/magazines about urban life and city stories. Products are shipped internationally with pricing in EUR.
2. Event Tickets: Revenue from organizing and ticketing events such as talks, dinners, and experiences. Some events are free while others have a fee.
3. Podcast and Content Platform: The Good Place podcast hosts conversations with citizens on public benches about life and place. Content drives community engagement and newsletter subscriptions via Substack.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

A City Made By People is an Amsterdam-based creative studio that produces urban storytelling content and runs community events to connect citizens across 20+ cities worldwide. Its sellable offerings include the Good Place Podcast, a printed City Made By People Journal sold through its own e-commerce store, a free online stories/articles platform, and ticketed/free City Talks events such as Amsterdam Talks and Bucharest Talks. The studio supplements these with event partnerships and sponsorships with brands, venues, and municipalities.

Product overview

A City Made By People is a creative studio and international network focused on making cities more human through creativity, storytelling, and shared experiences. Founded in 2012 and run by Robin Cox, the organization operates across 20+ cities worldwide. The core offerings include the Good Place Podcast (conversations with citizens on public benches), the City Made By People Journal (print publication), a stories/articles editorial platform covering multiple cities, City Talks events (community discussions), and the Local Heroes series profiling community contributors. The network connects citizens through events, programs, exhibitions, and publications to create more livable, connected cities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Good Place Podcast Podcast hosting conversations with citizens on a public bench about life and the place they are in, targeting urban citizens and community listeners interested in city life.
• City Made By People Journal Print journal/magazine featuring stories about cities, citizen perspectives, and urban themes, available for purchase through the online store with domestic and international shipping to readers worldwide.
• Stories/Articles Platform Free editorial platform publishing stories about cities, local heroes, neighborhoods, and community experiences across 20+ cities including Amsterdam, Berlin, Bucharest, Chicago, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Madrid, Melbourne, Paris, The Hague, and Vienna, aimed at urban readers and city explorers.
• City Talks Events Community discussion events held in various cities including Amsterdam Talks, Bucharest Talks, and other city-specific gatherings focused on urban themes such as liveability, inclusion, and citizen engagement, available both free and ticketed to local attendees.
• Map of Connection Directory platform connecting users to Good Place initiatives and community locations, accessible at thisisagoodplace.com, targeting citizens and visitors looking for community points of connection in their cities.

Quantifiable outcome

• International network in 20+ cities
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Taste Before You WasteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2018Collaborative food waste dinner event held in Amsterdam, bringing together citizens through sustainable food initiatives.
• Pakhuis De ZwijgerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2018Amsterdam venue hosting INCLEADERS Annual Forum 2018 event in collaboration with A City Made By People.
• MailchimpcoreTechnology or IntegrationNewsletter distribution platform for the weekly community update. User data (first name, last name, email) is sent to Mailchimp and deleted upon unsubscribe or account removal.
• EventbritecoreTechnology or IntegrationEvent registration platform for organizing events. Collects name, email, and bank information for paid event tickets. Contact information used solely for event purposes.
• SubstackcoreTechnology or IntegrationNewsletter platform for monthly stories and community updates. Users can subscribe to receive content via email.
• Catleya WinesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWine partner supporting Bucharest Talks events, providing beverages for community discussions.
• Miss Alé Espresso barminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee shop venue partner for Bucharest Talks community events.
• Visit Antwerp / This is AntwerpminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity marketing platform that invited A City Made By People correspondents for D.A.T.E. (Discover Antwerp Through Experience) program.
• ZokucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Amsterdam Talks events; a hybrid hotel/living space focused on community connection and recognized as B Corp.
• Melbourne Music WeekminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual music festival collaboration featuring Sound School showcase curated by A City Made By People Melbourne correspondent.
• GeradorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLisbon cultural platform collaborating on Arte Pública Fundação EDP project documentation and urban art coverage.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Creative Mornings: Free monthly talks series for creatives operating in 100+ cities through a local-chapter model. Directly comparable to ACMBP's City Talks (Amsterdam Talks, Bucharest Talks) in format and city-network distribution, though at much larger scale.
• It's Nice That: Creative-community editorial platform publishing stories about photographers, designers, and local culture, with associated events and awards programs. Closely comparable to ACMBP's Stories/Articles Platform and Local Heroes series as a curator of creative urban voices.
• Stack Magazines: Subscription-based discovery platform for independent magazines globally. Comparable as a fellow operator in the independent print/cultural publishing space, addressing the same audience of design-conscious urban readers.
• Cereal Magazine: Independent print magazine focused on slow living, design, and city culture, distributed globally with strong visual identity. Mirrors ACMBP's print journal as a curated, premium-priced cultural publication aimed at design-conscious urban readers.
• Drift Magazine: Independent print publication dedicated to café and city culture across global cities, with curated editorial photography. Comparable in its print-first, city-hopping editorial format and small-team independent operations.
• Kinfolk: Independent lifestyle/culture magazine that, like A City Made By People, operates across print publication, digital content, creative agency services, and curated community events under a single brand identity. Both monetize multi-format cultural storytelling to engaged niche audiences.
• Suitcase Magazine: Independent print and digital publication covering city culture, travel, and creative communities across multiple cities. Direct comparability on the print-journal + city-correspondent + community-events combination.

Broad incumbents

• KesselsKramer: Amsterdam-based independent creative agency known for culturally-engaged brand storytelling, exhibitions, and editorial projects. Operates in the same Dutch creative ecosystem and overlapping client base (cultural venues, municipalities, purpose-led brands) as A City Made By People.
• Monocle: City-focused culture publication spanning magazine, podcast (Monocle Radio), retail, and live events. Operates at significantly greater scale than A City Made By People but shares the same multi-format DNA of print + audio + in-person programming around urban culture.

Regional players

• Bureau Cool: Dutch creative studio producing brand storytelling, photography, and cultural content for purpose-driven clients. Comparable as a small Netherlands-based creative studio operating in the same local creative economy and serving overlapping civic/community clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/acitymadebypeople
• Facebookfacebook.com/acitymadebypeople
• Instagraminstagram.com/acitymadebypeople
• Xx.com/acitymadebyppl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acitymadebypeople

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about A City Made By People