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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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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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How do we build cities of many centres — not just one dominant core?   That was the central question of one of the most thought-provoking sessions at UF26, where cities across Europe shared how they are responding to growth, shrinkage, mobility pressures, housing challenges, and changing ideas of urban life.   🇮🇹🇸🇮 Gorizia & Nova Gorica showed how former border cities are using shared public spaces, mobility, and culture to build a common urban identity.   🇪🇸 Madrid explored how new hubs for innovation, housing, mobility, and green infrastructure can help redistribute opportunity beyond the historic centre.   🇱🇹 Vilnius reflected on urban sprawl and fragmented development, using the “15-minute city” as a tool to identify gaps in services and public life.   🇱🇻 Riga shared how neighborhood-centred planning, participation, and targeted investment can help cities navigate population decline and build long-term trust.   Across all discussions, a few themes stood out strongly: → public space as social infrastructure → mobility as a question of equity → participation as a long-term trust-building process → and polycentricity as both a planning and governance challenge   One of the strongest takeaways from the session: Resilient cities are not built around one centre of gravity, but through connected neighborhoods where opportunity, culture, services, and public life are more evenly distributed.   Huge thanks to Jeni Cross, Inmaculada Sánchez - Cervera Valdés, Signe Pērkone, Augustas Makrickas, Samo Turel and Rodolfo Ziberna for such open and practical conversations in session 1.2. 👏

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“We can’t be perfect in any of our roles. What’s more; we don’t have to be. Men never are.” - Ricarda Götz-Preisner Urban Future speaker Ricarda Götz-Preisner from the City of Vienna shared a powerful perspective on inclusive cities, feminist leadership & the invisible pressures women carry every day. 👉 #linkinbio   In her interview with Nika Vistoropski at Delo, Ricarda highlighted several initiatives shaping Vienna’s approach to equality: ✧ Funding women’s shelters, crisis hotlines, and 30+ NGOs supporting girls and women ✧ Free workshops on consent, workplace rights, violence prevention, and media literacy ✧ “Daughters’ Day,” helping girls explore careers where women are underrepresented ✧ Youth participation programs like Vienna’s Children and Youth Parliament   Ricarda’s fierce & deeply human perspective continues to stay with us. 💬 “Women are not an afterthought or an exception, but represent more than half of the population.” 💬 “I believe in dialogue, even when it is uncomfortable. If we don’t open these conversations, others will shape them for us.”   We’re grateful to share the UF stage with people who challenge systems, inspire dialogue & push for cities that truly work for everyone. 🙌 Thank you, Ricarda, for your honesty, courage & optimism!

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Why are cities 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 being designed as if women don’t exist? At our 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 session at Urban Future, we circled around a difficult truth: in 2026, gender equality is treated as a “nice-to-have” instead of essential city-making.   The conversation kept coming back to one thing: 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥. They reflect the people, priorities & power structures that shape them.   So many lines stayed with us...💬 Ricarda Götz-Preisner, Officer at the City of Vienna Department for Women: “𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺.” “𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯. 𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮.”   Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir, Mayor of Reykjavík: “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦.” “𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭.”   Nourhan Bassam, CEO of The Gendered City: “𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 – 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵.” “𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦.”   Miriam Staley, CEO & Founder of Leading Minds Worldwide: “𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵. 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵?” “𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨.”   Perhaps the most practical takeaway: 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐨. Who was this designed for? Who was listened to? Who’s missing?   Thank you to our brilliant speakers & everyone in the room who brought honesty, respect & a little rebellious courage to the conversation. 💛

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