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  • Why Cities Struggle to Implement – and How Urban Future Responds

    2026 Event Programme Revealed: From city centres and democracy to AI and circular construction
    JANUARY 19, 2026 | LJUBLJANA – Across Europe, cities know what needs to change. The harder question is how.
    This challenge sits at the core of the newly released programme for Urban Future 2026 (UF26), Europe’s Better-Cities Event, taking place in Ljubljana from March 24–27. The programme brings

    Urban Future official 2026 Programme out now

  • Urban Future 2026 Unveils First Speakers

    Urban Future 2026 will take place in Ljubljana from March 24–27, 2026, featuring over 2000 city innovators. Focused on sustainable urban transformation, it introduces diverse speakers and engaging formats, including field trips showcasing progressive city projects and strategies.

    The first speakers of UF26 have been announced within the "People Make Cities" Campaign.

  • Ljubljana Prepares To Host The Better-Cities Event

    Ljubljana will host Urban Future 2026, Europe’s largest urban changemakers event, from March 24-27, 2026. The conference aims to promote sustainable city development, attracting over 2,000 participants to engage in workshops and discussions on urban innovation and sustainability practices.

    Mathis Hampel and Rok Žnidaršič on stage at the Urban Future UF26 kick-off event

  • Comeback Cities and Green Revolutions: Urban Future 2025 Spotlights Transformation

    Urban Future 2025 in Łódź gathers 2,000 urban innovators from over 120 cities, driving discussions on city transformation. The event promotes green urbanism, equity, and collaboration, showcasing successful city changes while empowering local communities to create sustainable, people-centered environments.

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Vacant shops. Quiet squares. Ideas waiting for someone to say: 𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵. 👧🏾👨🏻‍💼👱🏻‍♀️🙍🏽‍♂️👩🏻‍🦰👩🏻👨‍💼👧🏽 Every city is full of people who spot opportunities long before they appear in a strategy or masterplan. Why do some people take the first step while others stay on the sidelines? And how do we make it easier for more people to turn good ideas into lasting change?   At 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 in Istanbul, we’ll explore how cities can unlock that energy in 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝟐: 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄-𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒. 🌱🤝 Together, we’ll turn questions like these into ideas for action:   💪 You have an idea for your neighbourhood. Where do you find the people, funding and support to make it happen? 💪 How do grassroots projects grow from a single street or community into city-wide change? 💪 How can local governments become partners who help great ideas move faster? 💪 How do we help community initiatives survive beyond their first grant?   Some of the biggest changes in our cities begin with residents, local businesses, community groups or public servants - those who prove that transformation can start from the ground up.   𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬?    Nominate them now 👉 #linkinbio

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Heatwaves. Floods. Earthquakes. Pandemics. 🆘🥵🌊 The question isn’t whether cities will be tested, but how prepared they’ll be when they are.   At The Better-Cities Event in Istanbul, we’ll explore the decisions that matter before, during & after disaster strikes in Theme 1 on READY CITIES.   Families & communities are currently suffering, flagging the urgency and timeliness of this important topic.    Among the UF27 sessions, we’ll discuss: ಄ How can city leaders identify their biggest risks before disaster strikes and prepare for them, instead of reacting once it’s too late? ಄ What can be done to protect the people most at risk, including older adults, children and people with disabilities? ಄ How can neighbours support one another when official services are overwhelmed? Can communities build systems that help people check in on each other before and after a crisis happens? ಄ What does effective leadership look like in the hours, days and months after an emergency? ಄ When misinformation spreads after a disaster, who can people trust? How do cities communicate clearly when reliable information matters most? ಄ If you’re in the disaster zone (or evacuated nearby), how do you find out what’s happening when the power or internet is down? Can you contact loved ones? How do you know what to do next when you can’t look it up? ಄ When it’s time to rebuild, how do we avoid repeating the same mistakes?   𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 & 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭) 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.   Recent events around the world demonstrate just how urgent these conversations have become. If you know someone we need to contact to lead these conversations, submit them now 👉 #linkinbio

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Hᴜɴɢʀʏ ꜰᴏʀ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴄɪᴛɪᴇs﹖ Serving up, the first taste of Istanbul! ⟡𓌉◯𓇋₊˚⊹♡   The 𝐔𝐅𝟐𝟕 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 is now available to devour!   No longer can cities postpone these major topics - the very themes we’ll be exploring at 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭:   🌊 Rᴇᴀᴅʏ Cɪᴛɪᴇs How can cities prepare, respond & recover when a crisis hits?   🫶 Pᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ-Pᴏᴡᴇʀᴇᴅ Cɪᴛɪᴇs How can local ideas, community energy & bold action shape what comes next?   📍Uʀʙᴀɴ Bʀᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ How can cities build identities that feel honest, bold & unmistakably their own?   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  ɢᴇᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴄɪᴛɪᴇs ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ: April 13-16, 2027 ‪‪❤︎‬‪‪ Istanbul, Türkiye   Few places in the world are as vibrant or complex as Istanbul. We’re headed to a city of energy, contrast, and constant change - the perfect backdrop to host.   And for the first time ever, we’re co-hosting with partners outside a municipality. Pʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ Hᴜᴍᴀɴᴇ Uʀʙᴀɴɪsᴍ & Tüʀᴋɪʏᴇ Dᴇsɪɢɴ Cᴏᴜɴᴄɪʟ. ❤︎‬‪‪ Humane Urbanism @humaneurbanismfoundation | Türkiye Tasarım Vakfı @turkiyetasarimvakfi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ✦.❤︎.◆︎. Get involved now by submitting speakers, projects or organisations who simply must be part of it: #linkinbio ✦.❤︎.◆︎. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   See you in Istanbul! ᢉ𐭩

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𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗙𝟮𝟲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 🩷 To our 100+ partners: thank you for creating Urban Future 2026 in Ljubljana with us. Your trust and hands-on support helped shape so much of what UF26 became. From the energy in the rooms to the ideas behind the scenes, you helped create moments people will remember. This chapter belongs to all of you. And now we’re turning the page. Stay tuned for what’s coming next week. 😉

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Every project has two layers.   The visible layer is the one we present in reports, strategies and renderings. The invisible layer is the one people actually experience.   It’s the layer that answers questions like: Can I linger here? Do I belong here? Should I stop and talk? Am I welcome? Am I safe?   At UF26, Session 5.5 explored how streets, squares & public spaces quietly shape behaviour.   It left us wondering: How many of our projects are leading to outcomes we didn’t consciously design?   What’s one place you experienced that taught you the most about human behaviour? Give us your best and worst examples 👇

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“What if planting a tree on your birthday became as normal as blowing out candles?”

The idea stayed with us long after the 𝘞𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴 session at Urban Future. 

In Ljubljana, Bruno Doedens shared his vision for “Birthday Forests,” or places where residents plant a tree each year to celebrate another year around the sun.A shared ritual. A visible reminder that cities are shaped by thousands of individual decisions.

The session covered: urban planning, policy, funding, climate adaptation & civic action. The big question:
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐝-𝐨𝐧? Within the depth of the discussion, one thing that stands out is how often we approach urban greening from the wrong end. A lot of time & effort is spent on targets, strategies & implementation plans. They matter, but we need public support & political backing first.

The speakers (shout out to Tanja Tötzer, Michiel Van Driessche, Heinrich Strößenreuther & Miriam Staley) approached this from different angles, emphasizing: storytelling & imagination; data demonstrations that prove the cooling impact of trees to help cities prioritise action; and, of course, experience sharing. Did you know Berlin turned widespread support for trees into a €3 billion climate adaptation law?

A few ideas for our community: 🌳 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. The shade they provide, the cooling effect they create and the resilience they add to neighbourhoods are becoming increasingly essential in a warming climate.
🌳 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬. Children can be given the opportunity to mark their birthdays or their first day of school with this simple act, and watch it grow alongside themselves.
🌳 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. Artists, planners, researchers, policymakers and communities could be in the same conversation from the start. The most interesting projects rarely emerge from one discipline alone.

What simple ritual could help people in your city feel more connected to nature? 🌿🦋💚

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Urban Future is where CityChangers meet in person – and where collaborations & conversations continue long after the event.   Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing the 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯? podcast series, which explores how to bring nature back into cities! 🍃🚦🐞 ⤷ The team behind @whatisthatgreen connected with several Urban Future speakers to dive deep into the topic, starting with Birgit Rusten from FutureBuilt in Oslo, Norway.📍 @futurebuilt is a municipality-owned development programme that uses pilot projects to demonstrate the value of Nature-based Solutions. Their work helps projects to: 🌿 Preserve nature with high ecological value 🌱 Restore degraded biodiversity 🌳 Create opportunities for nature to thrive in urban environments 💧 Compensate for unavoidable impacts on blue-green habitats   It’s vital work. Globally, we’re still falling short of UN targets to protect 30% of land and water ecosystems and restore 30% of degraded nature by 2030.   🎧 In the episode, @birust also shares how FutureBuilt rethinks urban development by involving citizens from the very beginning. One example is Magasinparken School, where the school grounds become a public park outside school hours – a simple idea with lasting value for the community.   Even better, FutureBuilt’s framework is available free of charge and can be adopted or adapted by cities around the world (link in article). But before you download it...   Listen to this conversation with Birgit on 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯? now! 👉 #linkinbio

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Let’s talk AI...   ⚡Should climate advocates be using AI, given its energy & water demands?  👮🏻 Are current AI regulations enough? ⚖️ Does refusing to use AI leave the field open to those who care less about ethics?   These were some of the tough questions at the heart of 𝘈𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 at Urban Future with Edgar Linscheid, Anja Floetenmeyer-Woltmann, Lior Steinberg and Michael Shank, Ph.D.   This UF26 session explored how AI tools can amplify communications, advocacy, urban storytelling and civic engagement - all while wrestling with the ethical, environmental & political consequences of AI adoption.   🎥 Edgar focused on AI as a storytelling amplifier - using generative video and visuals to make urban futures tangible, emotional and impossible to ignore. ➤ His main message: when used carefully, AI can help us communicate ideas that would otherwise never get funded or understood.    🚀 Anja approached AI as a force multiplier for tiny teams doing mission-driven work. She showed how she’s using tools like Claude, Perplexity, transcription workflows and automation to run large-scale climate communication and heat transition campaigns, almost like she has an entire agency behind her. ➤ Her perspective was pragmatic: if progressive city changers don’t learn these tools, others absolutely will.   🔍 Then Lior brought in the critical, practical lens. His demos showed how AI-generated “future streets” looked radically different depending on whether prompts were written in Dutch or English, exposing how biased training data shapes what AI imagines. Look out for the tool his team developed and shared at UF, the Street Cloud: 👀 ➤ Be aware that AI doesn’t invent neutrally. Knowing how it works helps us use it more effectively.   Opinions are complex and evolving...and for anyone working on the future of cities, these are exactly the questions we need to be asking.    What are your thoughts? 💭   Attendee feedback is that this was one of the most interesting sessions in Ljubljana, and we’re all curious to see where the conversation

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