Last month, TED launched our redesigned City 2.0 website, a storytelling platform for city dwellers to share stories, videos and innovations related to urban transformation. Citizen-powered and story-driven, the City 2.0 site highlights what motivates people to take action and work together to shape the cities of our future.

The City 2.0 site also features remarkable stories from the 10 City 2.0 award winners, who are improving their cities by turning world-changing ideas into sustainable solutions and collaborative action. From Kampala to Melbourne, City 2.0 grantees are investing their energy, passion and resources towards making a difference in areas like education, safety, health, food and public space.

Watch these eight videos, released this week at TED2013 and TEDActive 2013, featuring remarkable City 2.0 award-winners from across the globe and learn how ordinary citizens are sparking extraordinary change:

Crowdsourcing the Quiet
As city populations expand, it becomes increasingly difficult for denizens to find places to retreat and relax in silence. Jason Sweeney and his team are working to “crowdsource the quiet” through their Stereopublic project, using web and smartphone-based technology to help people geo-locate quiet spaces in urban environments.

Designing Chicago
Designing Chicago leverages public participation and design to make citywide navigation better. The ultimate goal is that the app will take transit planning to the next level, incorporating functionality that people can use in a responsive, holistic way. Need to pick up a cup of coffee on the way to a meeting? Work that into your transit plan. Forgot the bus might be crowded because of the baseball game? The app will remind you of that, too. Need to plan elevator and escalator routes because you’re stuck with a big stroller? No problem.

Hollaback!
Emily May and Hollaback! are putting technology to work in the movement to end street harassment. Street harassment may be considered a social and cultural norm, but May is using crowd-source technology and social media to change the way we think about this insidious form of gender-based violence. Emily May wants you to Hollaback!

Lost in Lahore
A trio of impassioned mapmakers and technologists — Asim Fayaz, Omer Sheikh and Khurram Siddiqi — are going to use the $10,000 from their City 2.0 Award to become superheroes for people who are desperate and lost in Lahore. They are taking Allama Iqbal Town, one of the most densely populated localities in Lahore, and using it as a demonstration, of sorts. The signs they erect will follow international standards and have road names in Urdu and English. In addition to installing the new signage, they will also engage a team of paid experts and passionate volunteers to maintain the signs for a trial period of three months, documenting the time and effort required.

Mapping Sanitation
Faisal Chohan, a Senior TED Fellow and TEDxIslamabad organizer, will continue his mapping work with a related mission: Improving sanitation in order to prevent the spread of cholera, a bacterial infection in the small intestine, primarily caused by drinking water or eating food that has been contaminated by the feces of an infected person. The rapid dehydration and electrolyte imbalance that results from cholera can lead to death if left untreated.

Recycled Amusement
An artist and community organizer, Ruganzu Bruno Tusingwire had an imaginative idea for how to engage and empower the children of his home country: play. Tusingwire became the first 2012 City 2.0 Award recipient at the TEDxSummit in Doha, Qatar, where he pitched his plan to turn thousands of plastic water bottles into an amusement park where kids growing up in the slums can play and learn.

Re-imagining the Commons
Recognizing the irreplaceable power of the local gathering space, Next American City, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit directed by Diana Lind, is living its mission by turning its headquarters into a vibrant local learning laboratory, art gallery and hot spot for boundary-crossing conversation.

WikiHouse, a House and Home for the 99%
Inspired by a desire to “create something that would allow the 99% to make cities for the 99%,” designers Alastair Parvin and Nick Ierodiaconou aimed to explore practical applications of their philosophical commitment to a more democratized design movement. They created a blueprint allowing everyday people to build their own homes using open-sourced designs and locally sourced materials. Since the project’s inception, five prototypes have been assembled.

Inspired by the City 2.0 award winners’ stories? Share your stories and inspirations on www.thecity2.org and download The Atlantic Cities and TED Books’ original ebook, City 2.0: The Habitat of the Future and How to Get There.

1. Start with a smile. “Smiling is one of the most basic, biologically-uniform expressions of all humans,” says Ron Gutman. Watch his TED Talk about the hidden power of smiling.

2. Just say hi. All it takes is one hello to open up doors. Here’s how to say “hello” in 150 different languages.

3. Remember: you are interesting! People want to talk to you. Think about all of the things you know and are an expert at. There are over 700 people at TEDActive and chances are high that you’ll find someone else who likes to wear polka dot shoes, does archery or is addicted to coffee.

4. Do a badge check. Where are they from? What do they do? Call them by their first name. Trust us. It’s not weird.

5. Ask an interesting, “meaty” question. Sometimes the greatest moments of connection come from questions that don’t refer to someone’s past but what they plan to do in the future. What is your dream? What is your passion? What speaker are you most excited to see? What do you hope to learn?

6. Find a TEDActive host with a yellow dog tag around their name badge. Their job is to talk to you.

7. If you’re new, take faith in knowing that you won’t be new for long. Ask someone if it’s their first time here. Bam! You’re no longer new.

8. We value the introverts too. “Occasionally, I hope you will open up your suitcases for other people to see, because the world needs you and it needs the things you carry.” – Susan Cain

9. Pass out animal crackers or candy. Or compliments.

10. Interview people for a blog post about talking to people. That’s what I did! Here are all of the wonderful and friendly people I met and their conversation starters:

TED Fellow Michael Karnjanaprakorn, founder of Skillshare. Photo: Ryan Lash

Today, TEDActive is teaming up with Skillshare, a platform that helps people learn anything from anyone, to create a free session of mini-lessons today — and you can watch live!

TEDYou: Skillshare Edition Talks
Monday, February 25, 1:30-3pm Pacific time (4:30-6pm Eastern)
Watch a lineup of great 6-minute tutorial talks that can inspire you to learn by doing. The talks are given by TEDActive attendees and inspired by Skillshare, an online platform founded by TED Fellow Michael Karnjanaprakorn. The mission of Skillshare: to help you learn anything from anyone. In this session, you’ll get a mini-tutorial in topics like navigating the healthcare system, reducing food waste, and thinking in new ways.

Bookmark this link now: tedactive.com or on a href=”https://www.facebook.com/pages/TEDActive/137096249545?sk=app_142371818162″>Facebook.

How does one describe TEDActive? If TED in Long Beach is like a really great book, then TEDActive is the same story told in brightly colored, pop-up form — with streamers and confetti. Centered around a simulcast of the TED Conference, TEDActive adds on new dimensions with participants hiking, creating, interacting, biking, making and, of course, dancing. The experience is hands-on and social — a cocktail of 700 movers and shakers from across the globe.

The warm, vibrant TEDActive experience is, at least in part, created by hosts Kelly Stoetzel and Rives — who make an effort to get to know each and every participant. Below, the pair chat Interview magazine-style about the changes they’re looking forward to at TEDActive 2013, themed “The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered.”

Rives: It is time for our end-of-year/pre-TEDActive debriefing call. I thought we would do a little Q&A. I’ll do some Q’s and I’m looking for some A’s.

Kelly: I might throw in a Q or two too!

Rives: Fair enough! Let’s do this like a nice, official, grown-up journalist. Let’s do who-what-when-where-how. Let’s start with the ‘where,’ because that’s the big news. We’re moving.

Kelly: That is the big news. We’ve moved down the road just a bit. It’s still greater Palm Springs but it’s at the La Quinta Resort, in the town of La Quinta. It’s beautiful. You might remember that last year we had a party there on one of the evenings that was outdoors with that great band, Las Cafeteras. But, you didn’t get a chance to fully explore the property then. It’s big with a lot of grass. An old California-style venue. I think it makes us really think about what we can do differently as we put the conference together.

Rives: What are you most excited about?

Kelly: Really, I’m excited about what that property enables us to do. We’re going to be able to have lots of different layers of stuff happening at once, but not all right on top of each other. If you want to sit down and have a quiet conversation with someone, there’s space for that. If you want to collaborate and work through an idea together, there’s a space for that. And if you want to swim, there’s a space for that!

Rives: I do want to swim!

Kelly: Or play music. With more space, there’s a lot more that we can layer on top of the whole event. We can give a lot of choices without it feeling cluttered.

Rives: Nice. So, let’s do the ‘who.’ Who is coming to this desert oasis?

Kelly: You are going to be so excited about all the people coming!  Lots of friends — lots of familiar faces. The mix that we like to have is about half veterans and half newbies.

Rives: This is a more or less carefully calibrated formula to get people acclimated. Anyone who is a veteran of TEDActive knows how easy it is to meet people. So when we do that half-virgin, half-veteran thing, by the end of day zero — definitely by the end of day one — nobody’s a rookie anymore.

Kelly: Oh, that’s true for sure. You know, another interesting thing that I’m eager to figure out … Two years ago, we had 30 different countries represented, and last year we had 42 or 43 countries. This year, as I’ve seen the registration coming in, it’s been heavily, heavily international. I’m really excited to see how many different countries and cultures we have represented.

Rives: Let’s do a little question for people that haven’t been to Active before. The mix of people is what makes TEDActive active. There’s no typical Active-goer, but do you want to describe the vibe?

Kelly: There are so many different cultures, so many different types of people, so many different ages, so many different fields of work and study. That creates this amazing level playing field. Everyone there, the thing that unites them, is that they are really excited to connect around ideas. That starts happening from the moment that people step on the property. There’s this warmth and openness and curiosity among everyone. It’s exciting to be a part of.

Rives: What I’ve always liked about Active is that you literally can go up and talk to anybody. That is probably the most important part of the TEDActive culture. As a newcomer, you aren’t going to be left in a corner at a party. Like it or not, the person sitting next to you — possibly in a beanbag chair — during the sessions is going to lean over and not just start talking with you, but engage you in a conversation. I can say this on the record: at every TEDActive, I have met somebody who changed my life. I’m not talking in a big grandiose kind of way — not marrying someone new who I’ve met every year. But literally, my life would be different if I hadn’t met that person. Do you get that same feeling?

Kelly: That has definitely happened to me every single year. Just going up to someone and asking what their story is — that’s how I’ve met people that have changed my life. That’s where the magic happens.

Rives: A little caveat to any TEDActive virgin: one of us — you or me or possibly both of us in tandem — will roll up on you and ask you something. We try to meet everybody by the end of the conference.

Kelly: Yeah! We always try to meet everybody. Unless they are hiding.

Rives: So we’ve got the ‘where’ and we’ve got the ‘who’ — let’s do the ‘what.’ What are we going to do at TEDActive?

Kelly: I’ll tell you, but I’m not going to tell you everything because we like surprise. We’re going to take over the property and use it like a campus. We’re creating a hub around the main theater room. Then there will be another room we’re calling “The Lab,” where there will be lots of hands-on exhibits and also more simulcast seating — some great seating pods and workshops and things happening in there. We’re also building out the parking lot and creating a TEDActive world that’s going to be the center of everything. We are taking over a bunch of houses and have special things going on in them throughout the day, too. And there are a couple of big pools, too.

Rives: These are those badass cabanas that I saw?

Kelly: Yes. They are great.

Rives: And, of course, we’re watching every session live.

Kelly: Yes. We are going to watch every session like they do in Long Beach. And we’ll also have some speakers of our own. We are even going to set up a speaker’s corner like in Hyde Park — a place where anybody who wants to prepare a talk can go and give it to anybody who’s sitting around. All the time — during breaks and stuff.

Rives: When the sessions are over — when we sign off from Long Beach, or Long Beach signs off from us — then what happens? At night?

Kelly: Before the event starts, we’ve got a party that’s going to be lots of little groups grilling around the property and then meeting up for some music after that.

Rives: We’re grilling? We’re barbecuing?

Kelly: Yeah!

Rives: Nice.

Kelly: And then we’ve got different parties happening each night, with shuttles to take us into town. There are some surprises. And then of course, we’re going to have our famous last night party that is always the extra special evening.

Rives: Let’s see. We did ‘where,’ ‘who,’ and ‘what.’ Let’s do ‘when!’ Just so that folks know what to wear. I think it’s a surprise for people coming from other places to sunny California to note that it is freaking cold at night in Palm Springs!

Kelly: Yeah, it can get cold. Last year, when we had that party, it was windy. You’ve got to be prepared for anything with weather. The key is layering, because it could be 80 Fahrenheit during the day and 45 Fahrenheit during the evening.

Rives: It’s the high desert. I’ve gone swimming every single day of TEDActive. But you could also wear the coat that you thought you didn’t need when you came here from New York or Boston or wherever. If you’re not going to wear it, someone’s going to want to wrap it around their shoulders.

Kelly: The good news is, La Quinta is right up against the mountains. Knock on wood against rain — I’m feeling pretty optimistic.

Rives: I think it’s time for ‘how.’ Let’s go over the particulars.

Kelly: People can either fly into Los Angeles or Palm Springs. We’re going to give you transportation information and make arrangements with a shuttle to keep the cost down. It’s further from the airport than the Riviera [where we were last year].

Rives: On that note, this year, you’re going to want to stay at La Quinta. Before, if you didn’t have a room at the Riviera, you could stay in downtown Palm Springs. But La Quinta is out there and you’re going to want to stay on site.

Kelly: Because we have so much going on around the property, it just makes it easier to participate in all of it if you’re also staying there.

Rives: And let’s see — ‘who,’ ‘what,’ ‘when,’ ‘where.’ How about just ‘why?’ Why, why why?

Kelly: Because it rocks!

Rives: I can’t hear you, Kel.

Kelly: Because it ROCKS!

Rives: So, speaking of secrets, what are you excited about when it comes to TED at Long Beach. What’s going on with The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered.?

Kelly: I’m excited about so much. For one thing, I’m excited about the speaker program. We did events in 14 countries to find a good portion of the speaker program — almost half of it. It was really ambitious and I feel really excited and proud of it too. Let me just say, we found some really exciting speakers that way. The rest of the program outside of that is more of “The Wise,” though there are some “Young” and “Undiscovered” too. I’m just really excited about the program.

Also, I’ve been so excited about this TEDActive move. There are a lot of things that we have been dreaming of that we haven’t been able to do because we were limited on space. We’ve have so many new ideas that we can bring into the mix. It’s going to appeal to lots of different types of people.

Rives: Got it. So you want to wrap it up then? Should we do our closing statements? I think the Senator from Pennsylvania should go first.

Kelly: I really think — all in all — this is going to be our best year yet. It’s going to have a really nice feel because we’re all trying it in this new place for the first time together, and that’s something special. I just can’t wait for the end of February to get here. I hope that for those of you who are coming, you all feel the same way too. For those of you who are not, maybe you should join us.

Rives: Wow, well, I can’t do any better than that, so that’s it.

Kelly: Of course you can!

Rives: Well, my closing statement would be: I agree with Kelly. We’ve been slowly hitting our stride and last year we surpassed it. The welcoming vibe was so strong. I mean, just being able to hang out for those 4, 5, 6 days with this astounding tribe of people who are willing to download their passions makes it a benchmark of gratitude for me through the year. I can’t wait to get back to it.