While architects keep debating about their profession, urban development just happens without their participation. Cities grow and transform, not as places of habitation, but as investment machines. Developing without a vision neither by architects and urban planners nor by politicians they seem to offer a rather dystopian future. In order to bring their role as a human habitat back to the centre of urban and architectural discourse, not only architects but also citizens ought to become more critical about urban development processes and their relationship with economy, technology and politics. Amateur Cities has been established to build awareness and enable exchange between citizens, theoreticians and practitioners who focus on finding better alternatives for urban habitation. The idea of Amateur Cities is not to give answers but to research, find links, establish connections and enable communication across disciplines that will allow to bring these alternatives to life.