Urban Future 2026 Unveils First Speakers

The Better-Cities Event arrives in Ljubljana, 24–27 March 2026, with bold ideas and global voices

Dec 1, 2025 | Ljubljana, Slovenia – Urban Future 2026 (UF26) has unveiled the first wave of speakers shaping next year’s edition of Europe’s most action-focused event for sustainable cities. From 24–27 March, more than 2,000 CityChangers will gather in Ljubljana to explore the ideas redefining how cities transform.

Co-created with global experts, UF26 centres on six future-shaping tracks that reflect the most urgent debates in citymaking today – from reinventing city centres to making circularity real.

Topics That Will Shape 2026

This year’s programme dives into the themes cities are grappling with right now:

• City Centres: Is the ‘heart of the city’ still where transformation matters most?
• Tactical Urbanism: What happens when small, fast interventions spark permanent change?
• Circularity: How cities from Slovenia to South America are closing loops and cutting waste.
• Innovation in Governance: Building leadership cultures that include, empower, and accelerate action.
• Change Communications: Why behaviour change depends on rethinking how we speak, listen, and engage.
• Future-Proof Cities: Tools and ideas helping cities stay resilient in a more uncertain world.

First Speakers Confirmed

UF26 features a global roster of doers, innovators, and urban visionaries. Among the first announced:

• Mike Lydon – Co-author of Tactical Urbanism; global pioneer of rapid street transformations
• Nourhan Bassam – Youth-centred urban strategist advancing equity and participation
• Ricardo Rio – Former Mayor of Braga; champion of urban regeneration and green finance
• Ana Rivas de Gante – Mobility advocate working at the intersection of design and policy
• Lior Steinberg – Co-founder of Humankind; shaping human-scale mobility in cities worldwide

More than 200 international speakers will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Mike Lydon | Nourhan Bassam | Ricardo Rio | Ana Rivas de Gante | Lior Steinberg

What to Expect at UF26

Participants can look forward to formats that go beyond traditional conferencing:

Returning crowd favourites include How to Annoy Politicians and the unapologetically honest Cities Fuck Up Show, showcasing the stories behind real change.

Ljubljana as a Living Classroom

More than 30 field trips will open the city’s projects to the world – from car-free innovations to riverside transformations, adaptive heritage, cycling networks, and community-driven circular solutions.

Highlights include:

• Railway Makeover: Construction Site Tour
• Rog Reborn: A Factory Gets Its Groove Back
• Planning Mistakes: Public Space Turnarounds
• Bike Streets: A Ride Through Top Cycling Routes with the Bicycle Mayor
• Urban Transformations Along the Ljubljanica River

Field trips traditionally sell out fast; registration opens today.

A Global Community of Doers

Urban Future attracts leaders and practitioners from architecture, planning, mobility, energy, real estate, technology, and civic innovation. “What unites these passionate urban shapers is their determination to make city life better for everyone,” says Gerald Babel-Sutter, CEO and Co-Founder of Urban Future.

UF26 continues the conference’s mission: to bring the people who make change happen into one room – to share proven solutions, hard-earned lessons, and the courage required to transform cities.

For tickets, speaker updates, and the programme, visit urban-future.org.

Journalists are very welcome to apply for accreditation HERE.