Plans Are Firmed Up for 63rd IMCL Latvia as Call for Abstracts Closes with Excellent Submissions
- Michael Mehaffy
- Mar 3
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 8
Abstract proposers include leading mayors, researchers, planners, architects, developers and NGO heads from across the globe; they will be added to distinguished plenary speakers
ABOVE: The beautiful venues of Riga and Jelgava, Latvia, locales of the 63rd IMCL conference.
RIGA AND JELGAVA, LATVIA - The Call for Abstracts for the 63rd International Making Cities Livable (IMCL) conference has now closed, and the submissions on wide-ranging topics of livability include housing affordability, financial tools, pattern languages, public space improvements, zoning code reform, economic tools and incentives, walkability and health, transportation choice, symmetry and biophilia, sustainable building, regeneration after disruption, and case studies from Latvia, the Baltics, and other parts of the world.
Proposers come from every continent except Antarctica, and from public, private and NGO sectors. As always with IMCL conferences, the gathering will be a peer-to-peer exchange of the latest findings and solutions to today's most pressing problems for cities, towns and suburbs. As always, it will occur as an immersive experience in an instructive case study locale -- in this case, two locales, the bigger urban center of Riga and the smaller exurb of Jelgava. It will also be a celebration of urban life, and the unique treasures of so many cities around the globe.
Riga and Jelgava are a case in point. The two cities offer fascinating sights and a wealth of lessons from history, including decades of occupation and other disruptions, and inspiring stories of resilience and regeneration.
The IMCL planning team traveled to Riga and Jelgava, and prepared a field report (video below). We will return to the conference venues in May to complete final preparations, and to prepare detailed travel advice for attendees (as we do for each conference).
Meanwhile, several videos document the delights of Latvia, starting with our own initial planning trip in 2025:
Here is another short video tour of Latvia, featuring both Riga and Jelgava:
And here is another video that provides brief background history of Latvia and the Baltics:
The Baltic region is a fascinating keystone in European history, although it is too frequently overlooked in comparison to its Western European neighbors. Our gathering will be an opportunity to dive deeper into this beautiful region and its rich history.
---
The IMCL was founded in 1985 by Henry Lennard, a Viennese medical sociologist, and Suzanne Crowhurst Lennard, a British architectural scholar. The Lennards met at the University of California, Berkeley, and the series they created there over forty years ago has become a premier international gathering of scholars, practitioners and city leaders, coming together across borders, sectors and disciplines to share the latest knowledge on effective solutions to today's most pressing urban challenges. The host organization, the non-profit Lennard Institute for Livable Cities, is currently based in the USA but has seen regular conference participants and prominent speakers from every continent except Antarctica. For more information about the 63rd IMCL conference, please visit https://www.imcl.online/latvia.
