Each year, around the end of September, something beautiful happens. A city opens up—not just to visitors, but to friends and collaborators. Placemakers, people with sandy hands and cloudy minds, from different corners of Europe (and beyond) come together not to be told what to do, but to share, test, question, and connect. It’s not a conference. It’s not a trade fair. It feels more like a learning festival built on trust.
I’ve been lucky to help organise Placemaking Week Europe for several years now—from Valencia to Pontevedra, from Strasbourg to Rotterdam. And still, every year feels like the first time. Every host city brings something different to the table. Every conversation opens a door. Every walk, dinner, and workshop adds a new layer of understanding.
In 2025, we’ll be gathering in Reggio Emilia, Italy. It’s a city known for its educational legacy, its participatory politics, and its quiet civic courage. And as always, the programme will be shaped not by a committee behind closed doors, but by all of us—through an open call for contributions, with the city’s own challenges and opportunities at the centre.
There’s something about the format of this festival that keeps it honest. Five things, in particular, come to mind. I’ve never explicitly shared them before:
The city is the main speaker. The host city doesn’t just provide venues—it sets the tone. Its local actors, questions, and urgencies shape the conversations. International guests bring ideas, but they listen first.
The programme is co-created. Around 90% of the sessions come from the open call. This keeps the content grounded. It reflects what people are actually working on, thinking about, and struggling with.
There are no VIPs, only participants. We’ve always done everything in our hands to avoid hierarchy. There’s no stage you speak from and disappear. Everyone’s here to learn. That includes municipal leaders, artists, activists, and researchers.
We don’t livestream. Not because we’re secretive, but because we want to make space for honest conversations. It’s Chatham House-style. You speak freely. You listen deeply. You take time to process before sharing beyond the room.
It’s sponsor-free. There are no booths, no logos, no branded lanyards. No one is trying to sell you anything. This isn’t always easy to sustain, which is why participants are asked to contribute. The host city invests significantly in making this possible, and our organisation does too. It’s what keeps the event independent, and it’s what allows us to offer travel support to placemakers who couldn’t otherwise afford to come.
We’ll be in Reggio Emilia from 23 to 26 September. The open call for contributions is now live (till April 30!), and early tickets are available. But more than deadlines or logistics, what I’d like to share is a feeling: this is a space where the usual filters fall away. Where practice and politics meet. Where people show up as they are.
If you care about how we live together in cities—how we care for public space, how we honour local voices, how we shape urban futures—then I hope you’ll consider joining us.
