One of the most notable developments in the past decade or so is the resurge of grassroots activism in the cities across Central and Eastern Europe and post-Soviet space. Thus far, however, urban activism in this social and political context is only sparsely reflected in the international research literature, raising the question if these cities and countries are treated as the ‘absent Other’ in scholarship on urban movements. This panel sets out to examine urban grassroots movements in the post-socialist – and today hyper-capitalist – countries, exploring the specificities of, but also the transnational influences on, urban activism in this social context. The panel also discusses what the recent waves of urban activism can tell us about the development of civil society in this part of the world, possibly qualifying ‘conventional wisdoms’ of the ‘weak’ and/or NGO-ized post-socialist civil society. Finally, the panel explores the development towards new types of collaborations and hybrid forms of action and organizing within the field of urban movements, and thus attempts and mechanisms to overcome the fragmentation of urban movements.