The Places and Technologies 26 conference explores how cities respond to an era marked by uncertainty, overlapping crises, and profound social, environmental, and technological change. From climate stress and public health challenges to political instability, social fragmentation, and rapid technological disruption, contemporary cities are increasingly shaped by gloomy times that demand resilience, adaptability, and new ways of thinking.

PT26 focuses on how design, planning, data, and emerging technologies can help cities cope with uncertainty while safeguarding everyday life, dignity, and well-being. Special attention is given to public spaces, mobility systems, green and blue infrastructure, and participatory tools that enable cities to respond to stress while maintaining social cohesion and spatial justice.

The conference will explore new methodologies, frameworks, and practices that help cities adapt across scales, from neighbourhoods and streets to metropolitan systems. By bringing together researchers, practitioners, artists, technologists, and policy-makers, the conference encourages critical reflection and actionable knowledge to shape cities that can endure, recover, and evolve.

Key questions include:

• How do gloomy times reshape the way cities are planned, designed, and governed?

• What role do technologies play in urban adaptation, resilience, and care?

• How can public spaces support collective coping, solidarity, and everyday resilience?

• How can cities adapt without sacrificing inclusivity, cultural memory, and environmental responsibility?

Key themes include:

• Urban adaptation and resilience in times of crisis and uncertainty

• Technologies for resilient, inclusive, and caring cities

• Public space as infrastructure for social cohesion and recovery

• Climate-responsive and nature-based urban solutions

• Digital tools, data, and AI in urban decision-making

• Mobility, accessibility, and everyday urban safety

• Balancing rapid change with heritage, identity, and place

• Multidisciplinary approaches linking urban design, technology, social sciences, and the arts

Places and Technologies 26 invites critical, forward-looking contributions that address the realities of gloomy times while exploring how cities can adapt—not only to survive, but to shape more just, resilient, and meaningful urban futures.

The conference program will cover topics of interest that include, but are not limited to:

1. Image, identity, and quality of place

2. Urban design and planning for adaptive and liveable cities

3. Architecture, building technologies, structures, and materials

4. Adaptable, resilient, and sustainable architecture

5. Adaptive reuse and heritage preservation

6. Landscape architecture and green infrastructure

7. Public space, urban health, and social cohesion

8. Digital technologies, data, and AI in urban environments

9. Urban mobility, accessibility, and everyday safety

10. Affordable housing, inclusion, and spatial justice

The PT26 Conference will cover two types of activities to present knowledge and professional research results, all of which will be diverse