Agenda

Welcome to our 2026 edition – the global stage where urban innovation comes to life. This opening session sets the tone for an exciting journey ahead, with a warm welcome from Smart City Expo director Ugo Valenti and Tomorrow.Mobility president Marc Rozendal. Joining them are high-level representatives who will share how territories around the world are becoming better places to live and thrive. Get ready for three action-packed days of bold ideas and groundbreaking strategies from around the globe.

Welcome to the first edition of the HOWS Barcelona - Housing World Summit, the new global meeting point for those shaping the future of housing. This opening session will bring together high-level representatives to set the stage for three days of dialogue, ideas and action around one of the defining urban challenges of our time. From affordability and land availability to new housing models, financing, innovation and regeneration, HOWS Barcelona starts with a shared ambition: turning the global housing challenge into concrete pathways for more accessible, resilient and inclusive cities.

How can local and regional governments turn political priorities into concrete responses to housing challenges? What knowledge, partnerships and capacities do they need to make this happen?

UCLG and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) invite you to an open dialogue to exchange experiences, identify needs and help shape the future Housing Justice Academy from the ground up. Rather than presenting a fully defined initiative, this session aims to listen to cities and explore how their experiences, peer learning and applied knowledge can come together to advance fairer housing policies.

Urgent action is needed to address the housing affordability challenges and there is no single magic bullet solution: we need a combination of boosting supply, mobilising public and private investment, and supporting vulnerable groups. The housing challenge is a global phenomenon, and to deliver results in the EU means navigating the complexities of multiple levels of government. The housing affordability crisis is most affecting cities, including right here in Barcelona, but they operate within constraints defined by national frameworks, global capital flows and market dynamics while they need to serve the interest of their citizens. How can the EU help?

Public tools to increase land supply for housing, including land banking, activation of underused land, use of public land, and strategies to generate housing capacity within consolidated cities.

Regulatory frameworks to protect affordability and availability, including rent control, shortterm rental regulation, and anti-speculation policies.

Cooperative housing, co-housing, community land trusts, and alternative housing models to foster social cohesion, emerging as responses to affordability challenges and changing social structures.

As Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo has led the implementation of numerous initiatives aimed at transforming the city and improving the quality of life of its residents. In this session, she will share her vision for Paris, highlight the key programs developed under her leadership, and explore how these initiatives are interconnected as part of a broader strategy for urban transformation. She will discuss policies to adapt to climate change, promote more sustainable and accessible urban mobility, and support affordable housing. Drawing on her experience, she will reflect on the challenges of implementing ambitious urban policies and the importance of an integrated approach to building more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient cities.

Modular construction, off-site fabrication, and enabling technologies —from digital design and AI-assisted planning to industrialized delivery systems— to build housing faster, more efficiently, and at scale

Barcelona’s approach to complex housing renovation, combining public support, building rehabilitation, neighbourhood regeneration, and community engagement.

Planning tools, public land, land banking, and public-private cooperation to turn urban land assets into affordable housing outcomes at scale.

International public housing models, governance structures, and long-term stock management, exploring how public housing systems can respond to diverse housing needs while ensuring accessibility, inclusion, and long-term social value.

Housing has become one of the most urgent challenges facing cities worldwide, affecting affordability, social cohesion, economic opportunity, and the residents’ ability to remain in their neighbourhoods. While the pressures may differ across local contexts, cities need to provide immediate responses while also advancing the structural changes needed to expand housing supply, protect residents, and secure long-term affordability. Bringing together mayors from different cities, this high-level roundtable will provide a space to explore how urban governments are addressing housing challenges across different local contexts.

The session will conclude with a special address by Anne Hidalgo, Global Ambassador of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, who will reflect on the importance of collaboration among mayors and collective action to address the global housing crisis.

Net-zero buildings, energy-efficient construction, climate-resilience housing, naturebased materials, and reducing emissions across the building lifecycle.

Global trends in housing affordability, financialization, and supply shortages, and how cities and governments are responding through policy and innovation.

Planning strategies to increase housing supply without urban sprawl, including gentle density, mixed-use development, and transformation of existing urban fabric.

Building-scale rehabilitation of existing housing stock, addressing energy efficiency, accessibility, housing quality, thermal comfort, and the financial mechanisms needed to make those renovations viable.

The annual World Smart City Awards is a prestigious international competition that seeks to recognize pioneering projects, solutions, and city strategies that drive meaningful change for citizens and push urban transformation forward.

Discover the pioneering projects selected for the finals of this year’s edition.

A relaxed moment to have a drink and mingle with other attendees at the venue’s main entrance after the World Smart City Awards gala.

This special institutional address will bring the perspective of the Government of Catalonia to HOWS Barcelona, highlighting the importance of public leadership in addressing today's housing challenges.

Public-private partnerships, institutional investment, land value capture, and financing models to scale affordable housing.

Regional planning tools and cooperation across municipalities to address housing challenges at metropolitan scale.

Dr Anna Minton addresses the global housing crisis through the lens of affordability, urban inequality, and the increasing tension between housing as a public good and housing as a financial asset. The keynote will connect questions of housing, city-making, privatised urban space, and social justice in a way that is both critical and highly accessible.

A conversation with the Mayor of Atlanta exploring how cities can connect public safety, affordable housing and housing delivery, infrastructure and neighborhood reinvestment to create more inclusive urban growth. Drawing on Atlanta’s experience, the session will reflect on how local governments can expand access to housing, opportunity, strengthen communities and improve quality of life by aligning economic development with the everyday needs of residents.

Governance models, allocation systems, and long-term management tools to ensure affordable housing remains accessible, wellmaintained, and socially valuable over time.

Integrated regeneration strategies at neighbourhood scale, combining housing, public space, services, social inclusion, and communitybased approaches, while addressing the financing tools needed to make transformation viable in vulnerable areas.