The Future of Cities Forum

How can Europe’s cities remain livable, affordable, and welcoming - for both residents and visitors?

On 5 March, we’ll bring together policymakers, city leaders, industry experts, and urban innovators to explore how better collaboration can shape smarter policies for Europe’s cities. The discussion will focus on urban challenges in the areas of housing, tourism, and quality of life – and the solutions needed to address them together.

This high-level event will serve as a call to action for stakeholders to join the Future of Cities Coalition, a new pan-European initiative fostering cross-sector dialogue and practical solutions for cities across Europe.

Join the conversation. Let’s shape the cities we want to live in and visit.

Matthew Baldwin
Head of the Housing Task Force, Deputy Director-General of DG ENER, European Commission

Nathan Blecharczyk
Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Airbnb

Patrick Bontick
Vice-President CityDNA and CEO visitBrussels

Frank Hovorka
Representative of Build Europe

Juliette Langlais
Director, Public Policy and Campaigns EMEA, Airbnb

Maria Regina Maroncelli Florio
Vice President of the European Large Family Confederation and Coordinator of the European Network of Family-Friendly Municipalities

Jan-Christoph Oetjen
Member of the European Parliament - Renew, European Parliament

Carlo Ratti
Director of the MIT Senseable City Lab and Founding Partner of CRA-Carlo Ratti Association

Pierpaolo Settembri
Deputy Head of Cabinet for European Commissioner in charge of Sustainable Transport and Tourism

Angela Barnes
Euronews
Managing Editor of Business I MC & Moderator

Thursday, March 5, 2026
Arrival & Coffee	9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Welcome by Juliette Langlais, Director, Public Policy and Campaigns EMEA, Airbnb	10:00 AM - 10:05 AM
Keynote Speech by Pierpaolo Settembri, Deputy Head of Cabinet for the European Commissioner in charge of Sustainable Transport and Tourism	10:05 AM - 10:20 AM
Fireside Chat with Nathan Blecharczyk, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Airbnb	10:20 AM - 10:40 AM
"The Future of Cities" - Keynote Speech by Carlo Ratti, Director of the MIT Senseable City Lab and Founding Partner of CRA-Carlo Ratti Association	10:40 AM - 11:00 AM
Coffee Break	11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Panel Discussion: Building livable and inclusive cities: How can Europe’s cities remain affordable and welcoming for both residents and visitors?	11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
Networking Lunch	12:15 PM - 1:30 PM

The Future of Cities Forum

Speakers

Programme

Brought to you by

Powered by

Address

Contact

Sponsorship opportunities

Get in touch