Placemaking Week Europe 2026

Creating better cities together.

11:45am CEST

Resilient Cities in Action: From Preparedness to Recovery

Friday September 25, 2026 11:45am - 1:00pm CEST

Cities across the world are increasingly confronted with crises—ranging from climate-related events to social and economic disruptions. Building urban resilience requires not only effective preparation, but also the ability to recover and adapt in ways that strengthen communities and places over time.
This session brings together two complementary perspectives on resilience: one focused on preparedness and one on post-crisis recovery. By combining these approaches, the session explores how placemaking can bridge the gap between anticipating shocks and rebuilding stronger, more inclusive urban environments.
Through a dynamic and participatory format, participants will move beyond theory and engage directly with key dimensions of resilience: place, community, governance, and financing.

Speakers

Arno Segeren

program manager, City of The Hague

Program manager for city making ('Stadmaken') in the city of the Hague. The program is aimed at facilitating initiatieves from the city, so that ideas can actually grow into full-fledged initiatives; initiatives that are valuable for the community, street, neighborhood, or city. The... Read More →

Leyla Van Der WAARDE

Collaboration Manager, Humane Urbanism

Leyla van der Waarde is Collaboration Manager at the Humane Urbanism, a non-profit organisation that supports cities in recovering from and preparing for extreme conditions such as disasters and conflicts in a more people-centred way.Trained as an architect, she works at the intersection... Read More →

Friday September 25, 2026 11:45am - 1:00pm CEST
Yoga Room - PRZED·POKÓJ Świdnicka 43/45, 50-028 Wrocław, Poland

Rooted in Resilience, workshop

global Y

2:30pm CEST

Local Challenge 4: Kościuszki Square

Friday September 25, 2026 2:30pm - 5:30pm CEST

Yoga Room - PRZED·POKÓJ

Surrounded by characteristic heritage buildings, that house some of Wroclaw’s most emblematic art galleries, charming cafés and a historic department store now housing offices and a shopping centre, Kościuszki Square has the potential to be much more than the traffic junction it currently is.
However transforming it is a complex challenge precisely due to its heritage constraints, the number of existing stakeholders, some with contrasting interests, and the limited possibilities for immediate physical change. For preservation reasons its green areas are currently unused, but the lack of activity creates nuisance of rats and overall neglect.

However local stakeholders such as the art galleries and the café owner have a great interest in activating the square into a lively place in the city center of Wroclaw.

In this local challenge we will work with the team of the City of Wroclaw and local stakeholders to address: How can Kościuszki Square become a more active, welcoming and cared-for public space in the city center through a gradual process of temporary interventions, stakeholder involvement and long-term learning?

Bring your best practices and lessons learned, and leave a positive impact on Wroclaw this Placemaking Week Europe.

Moderators