World’s First: Street Named After a Twitter Account

Look, even we are starting to find Twitter stories tiresome but this is a genuine first and well worthy of your few minutes of attention.

Twitter name “@arjanelfassed” belongs to user Arjan El Fassed; but it is now also the name of an actual location, “@ arjanelfassed tweetstreet,” which is now a street in a Palestinian refuge camp called Askar.

The street name came to be after El Fassed purchased it from a Dutch website Jouw Eigen Straatnam that charges $146 for each of 200 street names in the Askar camp and gives the proceeds to the Palestinian Child Care Society (PCCS).

The PCCS has established a youth centre and by selling the names of the 200 streets in the camp it supports after-school activities for up to 1,000 children in the camp.

El Fassed explains, “Since a refugee camp by definition should not remain permanent, selling streetnames of the camp is a creative way to connect people and support these children after school’, says Arjan El Fassed. ‘Naming the street to my Twitter-account is a symbolic way to connect both online and offline with the children of Askar’.

You can get your own street name by enquiring on the site, and any name goes as long as it isn’t insulting, discriminatory or politically offensive. The project reminds of us of another project we wrote about not so long ago, both of which are inspiring and innovative in equal measure.

via