From September 22 to 25, 2026, the Polish city of Wrocław will host Placemaking Week Europe, the largest annual European festival dedicated to public space and community-driven citymaking. More than 400 international practitioners, city officials, academics, and community leaders are expected to attend.
Since its launch in 2017, Placemaking Week Europe has become a fixed point in the European placemaking calendar. Organized by Placemaking Europe, the event provides a platform for exchanging ideas, tools, and real-world experiences focused on creating more inclusive, vibrant, and people-centered urban spaces.
Following previous editions in Amsterdam, Stockholm, Valencia, Pontevedra, Strasbourg, Rotterdam, and Reggio Emilia, the 2026 edition marks the festival’s first appearance in Central and Eastern Europe. Wrocław’s selection highlights the region’s growing role in contemporary discussions of urban development.
The city was chosen not only for its location but also for its longstanding commitment to participatory urban development. Wrocław is one of 12 municipalities participating in Placemaking Europe’s Cities in Placemaking program, which supports cities in embedding In September 2026 Wrocław will be the European capital of placemaking. placemaking principles into long-term strategies. The network also includes Rotterdam, Helsinki, The Hague, Budapest, Cork, Bradford, and cities in Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Placemaking Europe is a European non-profit network connecting practitioners, academics, community leaders, market players, and policymakers working across the placemaking field. The organization focuses on knowledge exchange and collaboration, supporting professionals who are shaping public spaces across Europe. Placemaking Week Europe is its flagship event and remains the largest annual gathering of this community.
The Cities in Placemaking program is supported by partners such as the Creative Bureaucracy Festival, the Intercultural Cities Programme of the Council of Europe, and the International Society for Urban Health, underlining the cross-sector relevance of placemaking.
The 2026 program in Wrocław will combine keynotes, workshops, site visits, and hands-on experiments. Using the city as a living laboratory, the event will offer practical insights into collaborative approaches to shaping public space—further positioning Wrocław on Europe’s placemaking map.
