The Naomi Milgrom Foundation has announced the program for the eighth edition of Living Cities Forum, with the annual event returning to Melbourne and Sydney in August 2026 under the theme: Cities Made With Care. Bringing together architects, urbanists, researchers and policymakers, the forum will examine how design can play a more central role in shaping more equitable, resilient and liveable cities.

The one-day event will take place at The Edge, Fed Square in Melbourne on 25th August, before travelling to the State Library of NSW in Sydney on 28th August. International keynote presentations will be held in the morning, followed by afternoon discussions, Australian case studies and interdisciplinary conversations that expand on the forum’s central themes. Half-day tickets, new for 2026, will also be available for attendees wishing to attend the keynote sessions only.

Leading the international program are architect Anupama Kundoo (Germany/India), whose research-driven practice explores low-impact, socially responsive architecture; Finn Williams (UK), City Architect of Malmö, Sweden recognised for his work in public architecture, planning and governance; and futurologist and spatial researcher Ludwig Engel (Germany), whose work advocates for adaptive reuse and renovation as more socially and environmentally sustainable alternatives to demolition.

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This year’s program centres on housing as both infrastructure and a foundation of civic life. The speakers will examine new approaches to housing, civic equality, governance reform, material innovation and the future of existing buildings, offering international perspectives on how cities can be shaped through care rather than efficiency alone.

“Increasingly, cities are discussed through the language of targets, growth and delivery, rather than care,” says Foundation founder, Naomi Milgrom AC. “The most meaningful cities are not defined by efficiency or economic success alone — they are places that foster connection and a sense of belonging. The international guests invited to speak at Living Cities Forum each offer powerful examples of how care can operate as a radical framework for imagining and shaping the cities of today and tomorrow.”

Living Cities Forum
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