Invitation to the international conference: Walking with hope - public spaces for wellbeing

June 16th and 18th, 2025

The Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (UIRS), Polygon – Center for Cultural Research and Project Development, and Deltalab – Center for Urban Transition, Architecture and Urbanism, University of Rijeka, invite to the three-day international conference "Walking with Hope: Public Spaces for Wellbeing".

The event will take place between June 16th and 18th, 2025, at three locations – in Ljubljana, Rijeka, and Cres.

The event will take place between June 16th and 18th, 2025, at three locations – in Ljubljana, Rijeka, and Cres.

The conference is the first event in the series "Public Spaces, Urban Cultures, and Hope", organized by the AESOP Thematic Group Public Spaces and Urban Cultures. Our wish is to explore how thoughtfully designed and programmatically conceived public spaces can encourage positive social interactions, support diverse cultural practices, and instil optimism, opening up new possibilities for the future of our living environments. We will pay special attention to walkability and its great potential in creating community spaces through innovative urban designs and artistic approaches

The official language of the conference will be English.

Registration for the conference

Participation requires registration. Please register your attendance by sending an email to: mancag@uirs.si. We are accepting registrations until all available spots are filled. When registering, we kindly ask you to indicate at which locations you will be present (Ljubljana and/or Rijeka and/or Cres), this will help us in planning the event.

Important information for participants

• Transport: Organizers do not cover travel costs for registered participants, nor do they provide transport between conference locations (Ljubljana, Rijeka, Cres) - participants should arrange their own transport between cities
• Accommodation: We also kindly ask you to arrange your own accommodation for the duration of the conference                                                                                                                                            

The full program of the event is available at the link.

With kind regards,

 The Organizing Committee of the conference Hoja z upanjem / Walking with Hope