Dina Ntziora

Summary

Dina Ntziora (she/her) is a cultural manager and engagement expert whose work sits at the intersection of creative placemaking, urban development, and community empowerment. She focuses on transforming cities through participatory cultural practices that strengthen social cohesion, support local economies, and cultivate a sense of belonging—especially among refugee and migrant communities.

As the founder of Refugee Week Greece and We Are Community, Dina leads initiatives that activate public space, repurpose unused buildings, and design community-powered cultural experiences. Her work champions equitable urban futures by centering underrepresented voices, fostering intercultural dialogue, and expanding access to culture through art, storytelling, and non-formal education.

Dina has collaborated extensively with the British Council on major programmes including The CoMuseum International Conference, Circular Cultures Design School, Love Unbound: Five Films for Freedom, and the Women of the World (WOW) Festival. Across these projects, she curates participatory processes exploring gender, circularity, accessibility, and social justice within cultural and urban contexts.

She specialises in creative placemaking and adaptive reuse, turning empty buildings and overlooked urban spaces into dynamic cultural and social infrastructures that nurture connection, support neighbourhood resilience, and open pathways for civic participation.

Dina currently serves as the European Urban Initiative (EUI) Expert for Imperfect City in Aarhus, Denmark. She has also worked with Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy on the Cultural Audit for Boston East Lindsey and South Holland (UK), the International Cultural Relations Strategy for Cyprus, and with Rosetta Life on international programmes linking cultural strategy, climate action, and youth-led urban transformation.

Her approach blends research, policy, and cross-sector facilitation to design inclusive, participatory urban frameworks that ensure every community member has a voice in shaping their environment.

Dina is an active member of several cultural and urban development networks, including Culture for Change, the European Placemaking Network, Decolonial Europe Collective, European Civic Forum, Museum Professionals Network, Women on Top, Bristol Creatives, and the Intercultural Cities Working Group at the Athens Coordination Centre for Refugees and Migrants.

She holds an MA in Development, Administration and Planning from the University of Bristol and a degree in International and European Economics and Politics from the Athens University of Economics and Business.

In 2025, Dina joined the UK Creative Community Fellows cohort and received the Places Where Play Heals award by the Real Play Coalition, PlacemakingX USA, Arup, IKEA Foundation, and the LEGO Foundation, recognising her contributions to community-based placemaking and inclusive urban development.