Plans Are Set for a Spectacular IMCL 2026 Conference in Riga and Jelgava, Latvia

The theme is “Regenerative Architecture and Urbanism: Recovery and Resilience After an Age of Disruption”, set for July 6-10, 2026

ABOVE: A video by the team as we made preparations for the conference in beautiful Latvia, showing conference and hotel venues, and other features we will visit. (Click to play.)

JELGAVA, LATVIA - The 63rd International Making Cities Livable (IMCL) conference is set to occur this summer in this city, and in nearby Riga, the capital of Latvia.

The conference will begin in Riga on July 6th, featuring tours of the city's architectural beauty and poignant history. On July 7th, transfers will be provided to the nearby city of Jelgava, where we will gather for the formal conference events, as well as tours of that city. We will examine "regenerative architecture and urbanism" with a focus on recovery and resilience following a period of disruption.

The topic is certainly timely. Cities and towns across the globe are experiencing unprecedented new disruptions from social, political and environmental forces that are straining our ability to respond effectively. However, ours is far from the first time in history that disruptions have required new responses and new forms of resilience. What can we learn from history, and in particular, European history, that will be applicable to other parts of the world? There are timeless lessons as well as new strategies that cities and towns can employ to cope with stresses and seize opportunities, balancing adaptive innovations with the continuity of heritage and local identity. The conference will examine these issues.

Latvia is a fitting place to do so. As a European leader at the forefront of current geopolitical tensions, the country has also come through enormous past disruptions, including the devastation and regeneration of its cities in World War II and the years of occupation that followed. In the process, Latvians have sought to build on their own local identity and culture. Today that work continues, as it does in other parts of the world.

The video above shows the venues for the conference, as well as some of the splendid architecture and thought-provoking museums we will visit. The conference location in Jelgava is the Jelgava Palace, and the hotel is the Hotel Jelgava. In Riga, the hotel is the Radisson Old Town Riga, and we will visit a number of other venues while in town. Both cities offer many other excellent hotel choices at a range of prices.

July is an ideal time to travel in Latvia, with typically beautiful summer weather. Riga is easily accessible from other European airport hubs or by rail, and the country is remarkably affordable. There are excellent opportunities for side trips to other parts of Latvia, the Baltic States and Europe as a whole. Transfers are also very convenient from the Riga airport or train station to the hotel and venues, as are the transfers in Jelgava.

For more information, please visit: https://www.imcl.online/latvia

To submit a no-obligation abstract, please visit: https://www.imcl.online/cfa26

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The International Making Cities Livable (IMCL) conference series, a premier interdisciplinary, cross-border gathering of city leaders, researchers and practitioners established in 1985, invites you to submit an abstract for its upcoming 2026 conference.  Our last conference in Potsdam, Germany in October 2025 included cross-sector leaders from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Attendee comments included “An absolutely fantastic event, with amazing speakers and extremely well organized,” “Wonderful conference!”, “Such rich content!”, “Excellent… High professional level and warm atmosphere”, “I left brimming with ideas and contacts for a great cohort of new colleagues.”

REGISTRATION AND CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ARE OPEN for the 63rd International Making Cities Livable (IMCL), July 6-10, 2026 in beautiful Riga and Jelgava, Latvia

The fascinating region offers many lessons for livable cities, and for resilience and recovery from disruptive periods of history - including the present. NOTE that the former August dates have been revised to avoid conflicts.

ABOVE: Beautiful Riga and Jelgava, Latvia, our host venues for the 2026 IMCL conference.

JELGAVA, LATVIA - The 2026 conference of the International Making Cities Livable (IMCL) will be held here, from 6-10 July, 2025. The topic is "Regenerative Architecture: Recovery and Resilience After an Age of Disruption."

Cities and towns across the globe are experiencing unprecedented new disruptions from social, political and environmental forces that are straining our ability to respond effectively. However, ours is far from the first time in history that disruptions have required new responses and new forms of resilience. There are timeless lessons as well as new strategies that cities and towns can employ to cope with stress and seize opportunities, balancing adaptive innovations with the continuity of heritage and local identity.

The country of Latvia is an excellent case in point. At the forefront of geopolitical tensions, the country has also come through enormous past disruptions, including the devastation and regeneration of its cities. As it has done so, it has sought to build on its own local identity and culture. Today that work continues as Latvian cities emerge from mid-20^th century era destruction, followed by reconstruction too often shaped more by the dictates of occupiers than by the needs and desires of local citizens.   

Riga, Latvia

We will gather in the beautiful cities of Riga and Jelgava to examine two nearby but distinct urban contexts, and to participate in workshops to assess and propose ongoing work to recover and regenerate a more durable, more local, more resilient urban architecture. We will also examine many other parts of the world with similar challenges, as citizens and professionals strive to cope with new environmental, political and technological stresses.

Historic wooden buildings of Jelgava

As always, this IMCL conference will be an opportunity to share the latest knowledge on effective tools and strategies to meet our pressing urban challenges. We gather in beautiful and instructive case studies, meeting with local leaders to gain first-hand knowledge on their successes and lessons learned. We also examine other case studies from around the world, as well as the latest research on urban challenges and successes.

July is an excellent time to travel in Latvia, with generally beautiful summer weather. There are excellent opportunities for side trips to other parts of Latvia, the Baltic States and Europe as a whole. Partners in the conferences (to be confirmed) include the City of Jelgava, UN-Habitat, the Congress for the New Urbanism (US), The King's Foundation (UK), the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism (UK), and several universities, as well as others to be announced.

ABOUT THE IMCL: The International Making Cities Livable conference series, a premier interdisciplinary, cross-border gathering of city leaders, researchers and practitioners, was established in 1985 by Henry Lennard, a Viennese medical sociologist, and Suzanne Croqhurst Lennard, a British architectural scholar.  Our last conference in Potsdam, Germany in October 2025 included leaders from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Attendee comments included “An absolutely fantastic event, with amazing speakers and extremely well organized,” “Wonderful conference!”, “Such rich content!”, “Excellent… High professional level and warm atmosphere”, “I left brimming with ideas and contacts for a great cohort of new colleagues.”

Space is strictly limited, and registration will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. We hope to see you there!

Submit a no-obligation abstract here: https://www.imcl.online/cfa26.

(Notification by April 1; accepted abstract presenters may convert early registration to accepted speaker registration at the same rate.)

Register here: https://www.imcl.online/events/63rd-international-making-cities-livable

If you would like to consider a sponsorship and/or conference display, please contact Michael Mehaffy, Executive Director, for more details at his personal email address - michael (dot) mehaffy at the gmail domain.

The distinctive Art Nouveau architecture of Riga.

IMCL staffers Leslie Barrett and Aiden Chanter on a preparation trip to Riga in February 2025.

Jelgava Palace, our host venue for the conference in Jelgava, Latvia.

62nd IMCL Concludes by Recognizing Urban Challenges, but Also Finding Inspiration

The beautiful Potsdam venue was a highlight for many-- as were the insightful exchanges with global leaders in research, policy and practice

Above, some of the attendees on the way to the Awards Dinner in the Historic Mil restaurant at Sanssouci Park in Potsdam.

POTSDAM, October 19th, 2025 - The 40th anniversary International Making Cities Livable just concluded here with over 100 attendees from the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe -- including global leaders in research, policy and practice. The conference explored frontier findings in urgent contemporary issues for cities, towns and suburbs, including urban resilience, adaptation, mitigation, public space, walkability and mobility, health and well-being, affordability, homelessness, spatial justice, gentrification, zoning code reforms, economic barriers and solutions, educational reforms and professional responsibility, and many more topics.

Speakers included leaders from UN-Habitat, the Congress for the New Urbanism, The King's Foundation, INTBAU, and other international organizations. Representatives explored the work of Christopher Alexander, as well as other architects practicing new traditional architecture and urbanism. Researchers presented new findings in neuroscience, cognitive architecture, urban and architectural health and well-being, and many other topics. The conference closed with a plenary discussion and debate on the emerging conclusions.

Conference leaders announced preliminary plans to hold the next conference in Riga and Jelgava, Latvia in 2026. A formal announcement is anticipated in the near future.

SELECTED VIDEOS AND PHOTOS

The conference began with a greeting from noted author Rick Steves:

Other speakers included researcher Justin Hollander of Tufts University, researcher Cleo Valentine of the University of Cambridge, and mathematician and urbanist Nikos Salingaros of the University of Texas:

Above: short talk with researcher Justin Hollander.

Above: researcher Cleo Valentine reports her published findings.

Above: mathematician and urbanist Nikos Salingaros discusses experimental results using AI to generate a design.

Below are some photos from the event. We look forward to next year's conference!

Walking through the spectacular Sanssouci Park to the awards dinner.

At the Awards Dinner.

Beautiful Sanssouci Park.

Looking toward Sanssouci Palace.

Presenting the IMCL Leadership Award to Guy Courtois, founder of Pour une Renaissance Urbaine (Toward an Urban Renaissance) in Paris, France.

Presenting the IMCL Livable Design Award to Robert Patzschke of Patzschke & Partner Arkitekten, Berlin.

Ben Bolgar, Senior Director of Projects for the King's Foundation, presenting the work of the Foundation and King Charles on soil, climate, food, inner-city opportunities... and architecture.

Alexandros Lavdas, researcher at EURAC Bolzano and The Human Architecture and Planning Institute, Cambridge, MA USA, presenting on new research into the impacts of architecture on well-being and health.

Mallory Baches, President of the Congress for the New Urbanism, describing the strategic plan for the organization, including research into practice.

Dyfed Aubrey, Head of UN-Habitat's European Office, describes the work of the Global Public Space Network and the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.

Sandy Vitzthum, an architect working with the City of Montpelier, Vermont (leaning forward at center), leading a workshop on a 135-acre urban extension of the city, featuring walkable mixed use and people-friendly spaces.

The crew of the conference with local host Bart Urban at the closing reception. L-R Jude Chanter, Evie Chanter, Leslie Barrett, Liam Chanter, AIden Chanter, Bart Urban, and Michael Mehaffy.

Thanks to all who made IMCL 2025 possible, and all who attended!