The main criteria of selection, following the definition of GUPs, was based on space as an agent of change being one of the central aspects of the work. The selected practices mainly focused on urban embeddedness and the ability to impact discursive and socio-political change through urban lenses.

Practices which were embedded in the urban realm but mainly focused on art and culture, for instance, were not included in the list. Secondly, the choice was based on their rootedness in community, meaning their ability to address the needs of, or ground their work, in a community or area.

Finally, the list of practices has been narrowed to those that position themselves critically with respect to the status quo, specifically in terms of being critical of mainstream market or state-led policies, while keeping in mind the extent to which the question of criticality or alternity is contingent upon the temporal and spatial context. Chosen initiatives all display a form of innovation compared to more mainstream urban practices, whether it be in the vision they have, in the new tools they use or in the structure they experiment with. Project-based initiatives which fulfilled the given parameters, yet which were short-lived and did not maintain their work in the long-term, were excluded.