Taking place on April 23-24, 2026, at the Palace of Culture in Iași, the first Romanian Cities Summit will gather more than 300 mayors, architects, urban planners, and leaders from international finance, academia, and civil society. Their shared goal: to co-create practical solutions for a better quality of life in Romanian cities.
The first edition of the Romanian Cities Summit is built around the idea that cities transform when vision and implementation are approached together.
Iași, România ─── April 23 – 24, 2026
Vision and Urban Design – explores the foundational principles of vibrant, people-centric cities, featuring international perspectives and urban regeneration case studies.
Financing and Implementation – shifts the conversation from vision to actionable mechanisms: funding urban projects, structuring public-private partnerships, and addressing one of today’s most pressing urban challenges—affordable housing.
On the main stage, representatives of commercial banks, international development finance institutions together with public policy experts will debate the current challenges of cities – from financing to the legislative framework – with the aim of generating solutions that can then be taken over by all the actors involved.
In parallel, on the second stage, Cities in the Making: Design, Culture and Nature explores the forces that shape the character of a city – from architecture and creative industries, to mental health and green infrastructure.
The morning session kicks off with a vision for the city’s development, featuring a presentation by the Order of Architects (Iași branch) on the Iași masterplan and the blue-green corridor. This will be followed by the theme “Spaces for Ideas and Leadership”, where Romanian architecture studios will present the impact of interior design on the quality of life. Next, we will explore the power of creative industries and local festivals in Iași, featuring insights from Romanian Creative Week, FILIT, the Romanian Mental Health Film Festival, and Rocanotherworld.
The afternoon of the second day is dedicated to nature and green infrastructure as an urban strategy. Four Romanian case studies will anchor the discussion in reality: the story of Văcărești Natural Park—Romania’s first urban national park, presented by the Bucharest Natural Park Association—alongside Codrii Iașilor, the Net Zero Cities Iași initiative, and Dâmbovița Apă Dulce. These examples will illustrate how collaboration between local administration, academia, the private sector, and civil society can transform the relationship between the city and nature.
The day concludes with a debate on green infrastructure as a strategic city decision, along with insights into landscape design as an essential factor for urban quality of life.
Today’s Ideas and Leadership in Action, the Romanian Cities Summit, an event held between April 23-24, in Iași, over 300 participants – mayors, architects, urban planners, representatives of academia and civil society – are expected to discuss concrete solutions for the development of cities in Romania.
For the first time in Romania, Charles Montgomery, author of “Happy City” and one of the 100 most influential urban planners in the world, is coming to TILIA-Romanian Cities Summit. Register for free now, places are limited.
