2026 / ONLINE – Registration : š§ [email protected] – š§ [email protected]
GLOBAL URBAN FUTURES: DELIVERING BETTER AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Building on the insights from the Urban Health Culture Lab in Copenhagen (September 2025), this season sharpens INTAās strategicfocusĀ onĀ howĀ livingĀ conditions determineĀ urbanĀ well-beingĀ āĀ withhousingĀ asĀ aĀ criticalĀ leverĀ forresilientĀ andĀ inclusiveĀ citydevelopment.
Access to adequate and aļ¬ordablehousing is not only a social right; itis a prerequisite for urban health,economic stability, and cohesive communities. Yet cities across the world are under mounting pressure from rising housing costs, social segregation, and gentrification. Addressing these challenges is central to INTAās Urban Health Culture agenda, which positions housing equity as a key driver of healthier, more inclusive urban futures.
Our strategic framework draws on mutually reinforcing paradigms: the 15-Minute City, promoting accessibility, proximity, and local self-suļ¬ciency, and the Humanising City, which places human needs, social cohesion, and sustainable growth at the heart of urban transformation. Together, these approaches oļ¬er a forward-lookinglens for shaping policies,partnerships, and investmentstrategies that strengthen urban equity, resilience, and quality of life.
By prioritising people over infrastructure, the 15-Minute City and Humanising City frameworks provide practical guidance for addressing these challenges and designing cities that foster health, social cohesion, cultural identity, and long-term sustainable growth.
3 SESSIONS 2026 AT 4PM ( CET TIME )
SESSION 1
JANUARY 13
URBANITY, WELLBEING AND
EQUITY
Husam Shweiki is a Palestinian architect and urban planner who serves as the Head of Architecture at Hebron Municipality. He is also a member of Hebronās Core Planning Team for the cityās 2023ā2026 strategic development plan. In addition, he works as an EDGE Expert for EDGE Buildings, advising on sustainable and green building design in Palestine.
Margaret Donnelly Moran is the Deputy Executive Director for Development at the Cambridge Housing Authority in Massachusetts. NAHRO (National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Oļ¬cials) focuses on promoting aļ¬ordable housing, community development, and urban revitalization. It supports policy advocacy, professional development, ethical standards, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in creating strong and sustainable communities.
oOo
Focus on the urgent need for better and more aļ¬ordable housing in rapidly growing cities and areas of crises.
SESSION 2
FEBRUARY 24
URBANITY, WELLBEING AND
CRISES
Camila Jordan, environmental engineer, urban planner, and public policy researcher. Director of Institutional Relations and Advocacy of
TETO Brasil, a non-profit working in low-income settlements (āfavelasā)
to promote housing justice, including emergency shelter construction
and community development projects.
Anne Bach Nielsen, Associate Professor, Department of Public Health, Copenhagen University. Her research includes sustainable and healthy cities, global and local climate adaptation policies, transnational city networks, disaster and crisis management, city diplomacy, and sustainable development.
oOo
Examining how Humanising City principles can strengthen citiesā resilience in the face of crises, balancing human needs, social cohesion, and adaptive urban planning.
SESSION 3
MARCH 24
URBANITY, WELLBEING AND
HUMANISING CITY
Ole B. Jensen researches how people behave during transport and in urban spaces. He has a broad academic background, trained as a sociologist, followed by a PhD in planning, a doctorate in technology, and a professorship in mobility and urban design. Throughout his career, he has consistently collaborated with specialists from fields outside his ownāentirely in line with the interdisciplinary nature of his research.
Husam AlWaer, Chair of Urban Design, University of Dundee, UK. Husam is an award-winning author with published work on a wide range of subjects fromarchitecture, urbanism, sustainability and healthy neighbourhoods to the specifics of place-making facilitation and performance evaluation..
oOo
Philosophical perspectives on urban life, well-being, and ethics provide a framework forunderstanding how concepts like the 15-Minute City and Humanising City can shape the future of cities worldwide