Alliance Manifesto

We believe that, in an era of mass participation in photography, city-based exchange and cooperation will continue to shape a shared language for public culture and urban development. CPL applies the “99+1” method—mutual interaction, mutual assistance, and shared methodology—to build a cross-regional, cross-institutional, and cross-sector network for sustained collaboration.

Our principles are clear: images must serve the public and communities, strengthen understanding, and build connection; creation matters more than repetition, and originality must be protected through strategic organisation; projects and actions must generate outcomes that can be verified; cooperation must be open to interdisciplinary and international partnership; and sustained construction must produce models that can be replicated and passed on.

We hold that when photography takes on greater social responsibility, society will grant photography greater space to develop. CPL advocates a “greater photography” approach—expanding the role of photography in urban governance, social mobilisation, public narrative, and cultural continuity.

As a cooperative network constituted primarily by legally-registered organisations and institutions, CPL does not admit individual members and does not charge membership fees. We mobilise resources through voluntary alliance and work together around long-term objectives. We will continue to advance the City Photography Congress and public image actions, building a city-to-city collaboration network for international cooperation, sustained public participation, and cultural creation.

We look to the future by building contemporary photographic heritage—leaving a verifiable cultural record for future generations. Through sustained “firsts” and accountable outcomes, CPL seeks to connect Eastern experience with global practice and enable equal dialogue and fair development between photographic communities across regions.