Archive < Local & Global <

Global Digital Safe Spaces

These documents showcase the results of an international Research Sprint and art residency, two parallel platforms in which researchers, artists, designers, technologists, and activists from around the world explored the ways in which communities create, inhabit, and safeguard online spaces. The aim of these platforms was to reimagine the urban social contract for the digital age.

During the Research Sprint, the participants explored the relation between the design of digital platforms and the safety of online community members. These discussions also addressed the question of trust and safety for the vulnerable groups using these online spaces.

Within the Artist Residency, “Exploring Digital Spaces and How Another Urban Social Contract is Possible Through Art”, artists were invited to engage with Edgelands’ research and translate its questions and findings into artistic outputs.

Designing Digital Safe Spaces with Empathy: A Toolkit

What makes a digital space feel safe? This question sits at the heart of a toolkit developed during an eight-week collaborative research sprint, as part of the Institute’s Pop-Down and Beyond phase. Bringing together researchers, mentors, artists, guest speakers, and survey participants, the project explores how online safety is shaped not only by technical tools, but also by culture, governance, language, and care.

Designed as a practical guide for developers, researchers, artists, moderators, and online communities, the toolkit includes concrete recommendations, minimum requirements, and red flags for identifying and building safer digital spaces.

In order to support broader accessibility and dialogue, the toolkit is available in English, Hindi, Russian, German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.