Introduction
The Future Cities Conference 2026 is an inaugural multidisciplinary academic conference focused on research, innovation, and implementation for future-ready cities. Guided by the theme “From Living Lab to Urban Impact” the conference highlights solutions that move beyond concepts toward real-world deployment, evaluation, and scalable outcomes in urban environments.
Organised under the Future Cities Research Institute (FCRI), a joint initiative of Ƶ University and Lancaster University built on a 20-year strategic partnership, the conference provides a platform for researchers and practitioners to share translational solutions, field deployments, and research findings across the urban ecosystem.
Who Should Attend
- Researchers and academics
- Postgraduate and undergraduate students
- Policymakers and public-sector practitioners
- Industry leaders and technology providers
- Urban planners, built environment professionals, and architects
- Public health, sustainability, and community development practitioners
Why This Conference
The conference reflects FCRI’s emphasis on:
- multidisciplinary collaboration,
- knowledge transfer and practical implementation,
- global challenge forums,
- and research impact pathways connected to sustainability and urban futures.
This is consistent with the Ƶ & Lancaster strategic alliance direction, which includes global challenge research forums, knowledge transfer workshops, and impact-oriented dissemination
From Living Lab to Urban Impact
This theme reflects the conference’s focus on translating research into practical urban solutions through real-world testing, city as an open laboratory, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and evidence-based implementation. It encourages submissions that demonstrate deployment, evaluation, and impact in actual urban settings.
Conference Format
The conference will feature:
- Parallel technical sessions aligned with the FCRI 4 pillars
- Paper and poster presentations
- Demo / Industry showcase contributions
- Tutorial sessions (90 minutes)
- Forum sessions connecting academia, industry, government, and communities
- Keynote talks and plenary discussions
Technical Tracks
Track A: Digital Cities
Urban AI, digital twins, IoT/sensing systems, smart mobility, communications networks, cyber-physical systems, infrastructure monitoring, urban data platforms, responsible data governance and ProSocial AI
Track B: Sustainable Cities
Technologies, systems, and strategies for decarbonisation, resource efficiency, and long-term urban sustainability, including net-zero buildings/cities, urban energy systems, circular economy, waste/water innovation, low-carbon mobility, climate mitigation, biodiversity, and sustainability assessment frameworks.
Track C: Healthy Cities
Urban environments and interventions that support health, wellbeing, inclusivity, and liveability, including healthy buildings and space, air quality and thermal comfort, public health analytics, inclusive design, mental wellbeing, and health equity.
Track D: Resilient Cities
Preparedness, adaptation, continuity, and recovery in the face of urban risks and disruptions, including urban poverty, social innovation, community preparedness, climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, urban governance, resilient communications, and resilience metrics.
Cross-Cutting Themes
Submissions bridging multiple tracks are strongly encouraged, particularly those related to:
- City as living labs and real-world deployments
- Policy translation and public-sector implementation
- ASEAN urban challenges and contextual solutions
- Industry–academia collaboration
- Community-centred and citizen-centred innovation
- SDG-linked urban research and impact pathways