How can cities become agile engines of economic prosperity, inclusivity and sustainability even as uncertainty becomes the norm?

At this year’s ULI Europe Conference, two standout sessions brought together architects, policymakers, housing leaders and developers for their insights, highlighting practical strategies for shifting from ambition to delivery in the face of complex urban challenges.

The Nimble City: Leading Innovation, Opportunity, and Growth

During this talk, medium-sized cities such as Boston, Lisbon and Detroit were framed not as second-tier players, but as powerful test beds for innovation and growth.

James von Klemperer, President and Design Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, observed that their advantage lies in being large enough to matter yet small enough to act, making them ideal environments to test new approaches to growth, governance and place-making.

James Von Klemperer

Several practical lessons emerged:

• Start with adaptable, mixed-use footprints. In Boston, the Seaport district demonstrates how formerly underused land can be reimagined as an employment and residential hub by phasing development, prioritising flexible floorplates and ensuring a mix of work, living and leisure uses from the outset.
• Repurpose before you rebuild. Lisbon’s Oriente district and Detroit’s innovation corridor both underline the value of reusing existing buildings – not only preserving embodied carbon but shortening delivery timelines and lowering risk for early-stage occupiers.
• Use public space as the organiser of growth. In successful masterplanning cases, public space – from courtyards to parks and waterfronts – act as anchors for new investment, allowing communities to form early and supporting long-term value creation.
• Align universities, government and investors. In each example, successful early phases did not hinge on large public subsidies, but on public leaders working with universities (acting as anchor tenants and talent magnets) and developers to make projects less risky to invest in.

Taken together, this session proved that “nimble cities” succeed not by competing on scale, but by designing systems that help talent, ideas and investment circulate, and by growing in a way that remains both physically and socially connected.

City Strategy: Resilience, Inclusion, and the Future of Urban Power

Subsequently, a high-level discussion brought together public-sector leaders and policy experts from Copenhagen, Dublin and London to explore how cities can remain liveable and inclusive while confronting converging challenges.

City Strategy Panel L-R Prof Greg Clark, Monica Magnussen, Bob Jordan, Graeme Craig

From climate adaptation to housing affordability and the complexities of urban governance, this fast-paced and candid conversation offered insights into how cities are moving from ambition to action.

Monica Magnussen, Head of International Affairs in Copenhagen’s Department of Climate and Urban Development, opened by sharing the Danish capital’s progress toward its ambitious carbon neutrality goal. While the city is unlikely to meet its 2025 target, it has already cut emissions by more than 80% from its baseline through investment in widespread district heating, public transport, cycling infrastructure, and a greener energy grid.

These mitigation efforts are closely tied to climate adaptation strategies that enhance quality of life, such as public parks that allow for recreational activity and promote biodiversity, while managing excess stormwater. Magnussen emphasised that climate action in Copenhagen is not a siloed policy track, but a foundation for urban liveability and long-term value creation, embedded in the city’s identity and delivered through cross-sector collaboration.

Bob Jordan, Senior Research Fellow at University College Dublin and former CEO of Ireland’s Housing Agency, turned the conversation to housing affordability and the need to treat housing as essential public infrastructure, not just a market asset.

He spoke of Ireland’s recent efforts to expand affordable supply. From rolling out cost-rental homes that guarantee stable rents, to integrating homelessness services with long-term housing support through the national Housing First programme. Jordan stressed that affordable, secure housing is a foundation for resilience, enabling people to stay in work, maintain their health, and participate in their communities. He also advocated for mixed-tenure neighbourhoods that offer young people, families and older residents the ability to live in the same place over time – supporting social cohesion and long-term affordability.

Graeme Craig, Director and Chief Executive of Places for London, Transport for London’s commercial property company, explored the transformational potential of public land. He described how retaining land in public ownership, deploying joint ventures and focusing on long-term value allows Places for London to deliver mid-density, low-carbon neighbourhoods around transport nodes, with more than half of homes affordable.

Projects like the regeneration around the London Borough of Southwark and the forthcoming plans at Waterloo Station aim to demonstrate how public land, if stewarded strategically, can unlock value for communities, not just balance sheets.

He argued that public bodies can act as catalysts for placemaking when they act as long-term investors and set the tone for collaboration with the private sector.

Across the panel, three common threads emerged:

• Ambition must be backed by delivery infrastructure. Whether in climate action or housing, success depends on turning long-term goals into realistic pipelines that persist beyond electoral cycles and adapt to complexity.
• Collaboration is the defining urban skillset. Progress comes when public bodies convene diverse partners, from residents and private developers to universities and utilities, around shared, place-specific goals.
• Urban challenges are interconnected. Climate, housing and transport must be treated as interdependent systems within cities, not siloed portfolios.

Looking Ahead

Taken together, these two sessions underscored a powerful message.

The future of cities will be shaped not by size or status, but by capability. Cities that are nimble, collaborative and focused on long-term public value, particularly in how they manage land, climate risk and liveability, will lead the next era of urban progress.

Conference photography: Karla Gowlett/ULI

This is the latest in our series of thought leadership blogs on the key topics and talking points from ULI Europe Conference 2025.

Save the date: the next ULI Europe Conference will take place in Berlin, 1–3 June 2026.