FUTURE CITIES FORUMTM

Image: Winner in the International Museums category - PoMo Museum Trondheim Norway in 2025 - courtesy Valerie Sadoun An all-female judging panel - drawn from leading professionals across local authorities, development and construction, universities, infrastructure operators, arts organisations and architecture and urban design practices - assessed a shortlist of eighteen projects spread across six categories. The judges were asked to focus on outstanding design vision and o

Image: Sowmya Parthasarathy, courtesy of Arup Future Cities Forum is delighted that Sowmya Parthasarathy, architect and urban designer with 30 years of global experience in the UK, US, Middle East and India, and leading Arup's Master-planning and Urban Design team in London, will be presenting at 'Science Cities' this week at Jesus College Oxford in the new Digital Hub. Her presentation is titled 'Ingredients of a knowledge district.' She is involved in preparing award-winnin

Image: Oxford's Cornmarket undergoing regeneration as The Clarendon Centre on right is remodelled for commercial office and laboratory space (courtesy Future Cities Forum) Future Cities Forum is delighted that Clive Tritton, Interim Director, Regeneration, Economy and Sustainability at Oxford City Council will be speaking at 'Science Cities' this week ay Jesus College. Clive has thirty years of experience in regeneration – with the last fifteen years as a social enterprise CE

Image: view towards Regent Street, London, in the City of Westminster Westminster City Council has published its City Plan Partial Review, setting out strengthened planning policies on retrofitting, affordable housing, and identifying four new, large development sites, following three years of engagement with residents, businesses, developers and local stakeholders. It says: 'At the centre of the review is Westminster’s new Retrofit First policy, placing the city at the foref

Image: Edge London Bridge on St Thomas Street , courtesy of architects Pilbrow and Partners - with Mace Group as construction partner Future Cities Forum is holding its 'Sustainability and tall buildings' discussion forum in March, hosted by Marcus Richards who is a partner at professional services firm, EY. Parthenon The discussion event will take place at EY's offices in London. Investors, developers, government, architects and planners will join the debate. Marcus is Part

Image: The Performing Arts Centre, Brighton College, courtesy of KRFT and photography by Stijn Bollaert In our schools category for Future Cities Forum's Winter Awards 2026, three arts buildings feature for the shortlist. They are: the Performing Arts Centre at Brighton College, by architects KRFT, the new Design Hub at Talbot Heath School in Bournemouth, by Western Design Architects with cost management from Ridge and The Rosalind Franklin Wing, at St Paul's Girls School, Lo

Image: Dr Peter Leek, Chief Technology Officer and founder of Oxford Quantum Circuits - courtesy OQC Future Cities Forum is delighted that Dr Peter Leek, Chief Technology Officer and founder of Oxford Quantum Circuits will join the science R&D infrastructure panel discussion at our 'Science cities' event at Jesus College Oxford. Peter founded OQC in 2017 and is a pioneer in the field of quantum computing, particularly known for his contributions to superconducting quantum cir

Image: Hotel Kymaia in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico courtesy Productura Three hotel buildings have made the shortlisted for Future Cities Forum's Winter Awards 2026. They are the Hotel Kymaia in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico by Productura, 30 Grosvenor Square, London (now The Rosewood Chancery) by David Chipperfield and Maison Heler in Metz, France by Starck for Hilton Hotels.. Hotel Kymaia, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca Productora says: 'The hotel has 22 suites distributed

Image: courtesy of Sheppard Robson, student housing, University of York Future Cities Forum will be holding its student housing discussion event this February looking at best practice in planning and design, and how new UK government rules may affect investment appetite in the sector. Some real estate advisers believe that student housing is still a major sector for developers but what impact will the Renters' Rights Bill have this year? In February 2025 the FT reported that

Image: Jenny Gardner - courtesy ARC Group Future Cities Forum is delighted to announce that three more female leaders will join our Winter Awards 2026 panel of judges. They are: Jenny Gardner, Director of Development & Construction at Advanced Research Clusters (ARC), Federica Buricco, Studio Practice Leader Master-Planning and Vice President, HKS Architects, and Liz Sparrow, Architect, Partner and Science Sector Lead at built environment consultancy Ridge and Partners LLP. J