The 23rd edition of Urbanpromo – Projects for the Country will be held in Florence from November 10 to 13, 2026, in the spaces of the Innovation Center of the CR Firenze Foundation.
Promoted by the National Institute of Urban Planning (INU) and organized by the instrumental company URBIT – Urbanistica Italiana Srl, the event is based on the work of a Steering Committee that collects and coordinates the proposals of the various Working Groups.
Themes
At the heart of this year’s edition are the themes of social housing and new housing needs, along with urban regeneration as a tool for innovation, the recovery of existing heritage, and the revitalization of strategic urban areas. Particular attention is paid to housing policies and the numerous experiments launched at the local level, with a focus on evaluating the social impacts of social housing interventions and on new forms of housing, such as student housing and senior housing. The review also addresses the dynamics of living in tourist cities, the role of short-term rental platforms, and the prospects for sustainable and digital tourism. Within this framework, a broader reflection is proposed on the relationship between nature and cities, between energy and landscape, and the opportunities offered by Renewable Energy Communities, also in light of the most recent regulatory developments. Ample space is dedicated to urban regeneration as a multidimensional process, capable of integrating innovation, sustainability, and local community participation, leveraging experiences and projects spread across the country, including in relation to the opportunities offered by the PNRR. Finally, the program is enriched with insights into the evolution of urban planning, accessibility and inclusion in urban contexts, metropolitan mobility infrastructure, and the new perspectives offered by digital tools and artificial intelligence in city design.
As is customary, the above contents will be structured around four now consolidated thematic strands:
• Urbanpromo City, focused on urban regeneration
• Urbanpromo Social Housing, focused on social housing
• Urbanpromo Green, focused on the ecological transition
• Urbanpromo Digital, focused on digital culture
The partners
INU and URBIT’s main partners for this year’s edition include Fondazione CR Firenze, Fondazione Cariplo, Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT, Fondazione con il Sud, CDP Real Asset Sgr, Regione Toscana, Città Metropolitana di Firenze, Comune di Firenze, ANCE, Confcommercio, and FS Sistemi Urbani.
The location
The event takes place in the spaces of the Innovation Center of the Fondazione CR Firenze, a historic building constructed at the end of the 17th century by Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici as the Granary of Abundance, transformed into a modern center for technological innovation. Located on Lungarno Soderini and a few steps from the Santa Maria Novella station, the Innovation Center hosts conferences in the four rooms of the Conference Center in the basement, while on the ground floor there are the 21 silos of the historic granary, exhibition spaces, foyers and hospitality services.
The demonstration
During the four days of Urbanpromo, the Conference Centre rooms host four conferences in parallel, generally structured in two sessions of approximately 90-100 minutes each, with an interval. Some conferences adopt different formats and are also streamed. All events are recorded and made available later. As usual, INU and URBIT require professional associations to recognize training credits for participants.
Urbanpromo Letture
The format “Urbanpromo Letture” has been used as a preparatory path for Urbanpromo 2026, with the review entitled “Urbanistic Lexicon. The words of the territory government”.
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