This October, Pecha Kucha Night is taking place at a special location. The event will open the Rákóczi tér market hall for a night to show innovative urban projects from Hungary and the neighboring countries that bring new methods and tools to city development. From transforming street furniture to the renewal of Bratislava’s Old Market Hall, from the secret life of Csepel Művek to the future of Rákóczi tér, several speakers will provide insight to the development of cities in the Visegrád region. Pecha Kucha is a simple presentation format where architects, designers, creative minds show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. The images advance automatically and the presenter talk along to the images. The presentation format was devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham architecture. The first PechaKucha Night was held in Tokyo in their gallery/lounge/bar/club/creative kitchen, SuperDeluxe, in February, 2003 and by now Pecha Kucha is happening in over 1000 cities around the world. Dynamic presentations are given on completed or ongoing projects of architecture, urban innovation, fine arts, applied art or experimental project adhering to the internationally applied rules. Since 2006 Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre – KÉK offers the opportunity for architects and designers to showcase their work in Budapest. The program had numerous editions so far. The entrance is free and the presentations will be in English. This year’s theme Urban Innovation is powered by Shared Cities: Creative Momentum. This is a seminal four-year cultural project, bringing together eleven partners from seven major European cities: Belgrade, Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Katowice, Prague and Warsaw. SCCM establishes an international network for a creative discourse at the intersection of architecture, art, urbanism and the sharing economy to contribute to the transformation of urban spaces. From 2016 to 2020 more than 300 activities will take place, encompassing festivals, films, exhibitions, artists’ residencies or case studies. The project’s ambition is to show urban citizens that their participation and cooperation is essential for creating a pleasant and valuable urban environment. The project’s creative centre is in Prague where the Goethe-lnstitut, Czech Centres and the reSITE organisation form its core team. Shared Cities: Creative Momentum (SCCM) is a European cultural platform addressing the contemporary urban challenges of European cities. SCCM is a joint project of Goethe-lnstitut (DE), Czech Centres (CZ), reSITE (CZ), Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava (SK), Association of Belgrade Architects (RS), Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre – KÉK (HU), Katowice City of Gardens (PL), KUNSTrePUBLIK (DE), Mindspace (HU), Old Market Hall Alliance (SK), Res Publica – Cities Magazine (PL). Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. Photo: Pixabay