News, voices and proposals from cities around the world
The festival guests — 2024
Aitor Hernández-Morales
Senior Reporter / POLITICO
Bruxelles (Belgium)
Andrew Quarrie
Founder / Urblandia
Miami (USA)
Chris Elisara
Co-founder & Producer / Better Cities Film Festival
Julian (USA)
Daniel Rodrigues
Photographer
Porto (Portugal)
Daphné Bengoa
Photographer
Geneva (Switzerland)
David Dudley
Senior Editor, Bloomberg CityLab
Baltimore (USA)
David Peacock
Senior Advisor / Simpleview Inc.
Ontario (Canada)
Dirk van Peijpe
Founder / De Urbanisten
Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Emily Conklin
Managing Editor / The Architect's Newspaper
New York (USA)
Federico Parolotto
CEO / MIC-HUB
Milan (Italy)
Frank Cuypers
Founder / Place Generation
Antwerp (Belgium)
Helle Søholt
CEO & Founding Partner / Gehl
Copenhagen (Denmark)
Illah van Oijen
Executive Creative Director / Punkt
Bratislava (Slovakia)
Jaanus Juss
Founder & CEO / Telliskivi Creative City
Tallinn (Estonia)
James Ehrlich
Founder / ReGen Villages
Palo Alto (USA)
John Paget
Co-founder & Creative Director / Better Cities Film Festival
Buffalo, New York (USA)
Kotchakorn Voraakhom
Ceo / Landprocess
Bangkok (Thailand)
Martyn Evans
Creative Director / LandsecU+I
London (UK)
Matt Grunbaum
Associate Partner / Field Operations
New York (USA)
Matteo Bagnasco
Culture Goal Manager / Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo
Turin (Italy)
Maurizio Veloccia
Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning / Roma Capitale
Rome (Italy)
Michele D’Alena
Head Civic Imagination Office / Fondazione IU
Bologna (Italy)
Nadina Galle
Author & National Geographic Explorer
Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Nick Gaskell
Partner & Workplace Sector Lead / Hawkins\Brown
London (UK)
Nick Hannes
Photographer / New Capital: Building Cities from Scratch
Antwerp (Belgium)
Nicolas Détrie
Co-Founder / Yes We Camp
Marseille (France)
Oliver Krumes
Photographer
Baierbrunn (Germany)
Paola Pasino
Principal Officer City Centre Regeneration / Glasgow City Council
Glasgow (UK)
Ralph Horat
Founder / Next Generation Village
Zurich ( Swiss)
Roberto Gualtieri
Mayor / Roma Capitale
Rome (Italy)
Roland Kager
Data Analyst
Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Sarah Castle
Co-founding director / IF_DO
London (UK)
Sneha Visakha
Host / The Feminist City Podcast
Hyderabad (India)
Tony Cho
Founder & CEO / Cho Ventures and Future of Cities
Miami (USA)
Valentina Chiappa Nuñez
Associate Architect / MVRDV
Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Valeria Lorenzelli
Placemaking advocate / EuroMilano
Milan (Italy)
Ya-Ting Liu
Chief Public Realm Officer / NYC
New York (USA)
Zala Velkavrh
Urban Practitioner / Prostorož
Ljubljana (Slovenia)
The first city making festival in Italy
For all city lovers
Utopian Hours is the festival of “city making”: the ideas, projects and places that are improving life in the world’s cities. For three days the festival gives voice to the key players in these changes: city makers, activists, architects and innovators share their experiences, stimulating new visions on urban evolution and a reflection on the notion of the city.
New City Making – Manifesto \ Part 2.
Utopian Hours 2024 carries on the collective reflection launched during the last edition of the festival, with the aim of defining a new way of perceiving, designing, living and talking about cities. Hence the ambitious idea of drafting a Manifesto for a New City Making, to which many guests have already contributed in 2023.
The key words for a new conception of “city making” shared with the audience during Utopian Hours last October will be enriched with new suggestions and statements of intent by the guests of the eighth edition. This will complete a round of discussions that has already involved many of the world’s brightest and most knowledgeable city makers.
Guests from past editions recount Utopian Hours
Speakers’ Corner
It was great to be part of Utopian Hours end especially great to see a conference take place in 2020 despite the pandemic! With the huge problems we are facing, it’s even more important that people get together to discuss the future of cities and Utopian Hours is a fantastic platform for this
Marcus Fairs / Dezeen
The fourth Utopian Hours festival felt like one of the most vital cities conferences I’ve ever attended. I was very honoured to participate alongside some of the world’s most thoughtful urban thinkers, and it gives me faith that cities will rebound even stronger than before
Chris Michael / Guardian Cities
For us at LSE Cities, participating at Utopian Hours has been a truly rewarding and meaningful experience. Above all, the facilitation of a workshop with activists from Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion has been a unique opportunity to reach audiences and collaborators beyond our usual partners
Philipp Rode / LSE Cities
Take advantage of the Early Bird promo running until August 31st
Your ticket at a discounted rate
New business and networking opportunities
The Full Professional Pass
With the Full Professional Pass formula, you will have the opportunity to experience exclusive Utopian Hours content: closed-door round tables, networking moments and the VIP Lounge in Dorado to connect with Stratosferica’s international network
The Best of Italian City Making
In addition to keynote speeches with international guests, 6 closed-door working tables on the future of urban innovation in our country. 6 tables and 6 themes on which city councillors, officials, technicians and urban practitioners from all over Italy will confront each other
Face to face with those who tell, transform and study cities
The Urbanites’ Fair
A space dedicated to some of the most active international organizations dealing with cities and urban phenomena. 15 organizations share their work: independent collectives, media & magazines, universities, content creators and networks from Europe and around the world
The media coverage of the event
A festival loved by media
Over the years, some of the most influential national and international media have covered the content of Utopian Hours. Each edition welcomes editors and contributors to further open the debate to those who produce reporting on major urban issues every day
The festival venue
La Centrale Lavazza
From 2019 Utopian Hours takes place at La Centrale della Nuvola Lavazza. From 2020, the event is also available via live streaming.
Under the Patronage of
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Main partner
With the contribution of
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Guest city
Sponsor
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Media partner
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With the participation of
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Welcome Partner
Networking Partner
Creative Partner
Technical Sponsor
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