Thom Wolf

In today’s world, more than half of humanity lives in urban centers. By mid-century, that figure will rise to two-thirds. The city is the new village, the new nation, the new network. Which means, whether we like it or not, urban social change is everyone’s business.

In its classical sense, an oikos refers to a household—but not merely a nuclear family. It’s the extended relational web around an individual: family, neighbors, coworkers, close friends, and even regular vendors or community elders.

In every society, there are doors. Some are visible—political systems, educational institutions, neighborhood councils. Others are intangible—relational trust, social memory, unspoken customs. And in every place, without fail, there are people who hold keys.