Cities are shaped every day — through people, culture, and the rhythms of lived experience. The Art of Citymaking is a one-day international festival exploring how cities evolve as places to live, connect, and participate — staged in Singapore on 17 June 2026, and closing with The New York Times Debate.
The inaugural edition brings together more than 50 speakers from over 15 countries — urban leaders, creatives, policymakers and practitioners — across keynotes, panels, film and immersive experiences. The festival treats creativity and innovation as essential forces in citymaking, organised around three themes: Adaptive Neighbourhoods, Urban Software, and Placemaking & Legacy.
The festival closes with an Oxford-style debate in partnership with The New York Times on the motion: “The way we measure city success is fundamentally wrong.”
Pre-event press release. One-day festival, 17 June 2026, Glass Dome — closing with the New York Times debate.
Further releases will be added here as the festival approaches. For embargoed copy or interview requests, contact the Press Office below.
- What
- The Art of Citymaking — a one-day international festival exploring how cities evolve as places to live, connect, and participate. Inaugural edition.
- When
- 17 June 2026 · 10:00 — 20:00 SGT · Doors 09:00
- Where
- Glass Dome — Landmark of Good, Singapore
- Format
- Keynotes, panels, film, immersive experiences and an Oxford-style debate finale with The New York Times.
- Speakers
- 50+ confirmed speakers from 15+ countries — urban leaders, mayors, designers, investors and cultural practitioners.
- Tickets
- From $188. Limited capacity. Book at leadershipforcities.com (primary festival site) or theartofcitymaking.com.
- The NYT Debate
- An Oxford-style finale with The New York Times on whether the way we measure city success is fundamentally wrong — GDP, growth, and rankings versus wellbeing, liveability and experience.
- Singapore as the world's living lab
- Why Singapore — long regarded as a benchmark for liveability — is the natural stage for a global conversation on what comes next for cities.
- Citymaking as creative practice
- Charles Landry's foundational idea: making a city is ‘like jazz, not a symphony — improvised, layered, and alive to the moment.’ A festival framed around creativity and innovation as forces of urban change.
- Mayors and city leaders in dialogue
- Mayors and deputy mayors from across Australia, South-East Asia and beyond, in conversation with investors, designers and cultural producers — a rare cross-sector forum on the practice of running and shaping cities.
- The new economics of place
- How developers, investors and policymakers are rethinking what real estate, infrastructure and neighbourhoods are for — and why the experience of place is becoming a primary metric.
More than 50 speakers from over 15 countries — mayors, urban designers, investors, journalists, cultural producers and the practitioners reshaping cities.
Including Charles Landry (author, The Creative City), Sanjeev Sanyal (Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister of India), Helen Marriage (Founder, Artichoke), Lily Kuo (Journalist, The New York Times), Yu-Ning Hwang (Chief, Urban Innovation & Excellence, Singapore Ministry of National Development), Anupam Yog (Festival Director & Founder, Leadership for Cities), Peter Hyland (Chair, Leadership for Cities), and mayors and deputy mayors from across South-East Queensland — among many others.
The Art of Citymaking Festival is convened by Leadership for Cities in partnership with The Citymaking Circle, with Airbnb as the Official Citymaking Partner, and supported by Friends of the Festival.
Circle members and founding partners include XDG Labs, weareMIXD, WSDM Haus, Farm Cultural Park, BLOXHUB, Dhun Life and the Kathiwada Foundation. The New York Times partners on the closing debate; districtBE is the Inspiration Partner.
Festival logos, hi-resolution imagery and supporting materials are available for editorial use. Please credit The Art of Citymaking Festival.
- Festival logos
- Full logo suite in SVG, PNG and EPS. Available on request from the Press Office — usage guidelines included.
- Event photography
- Available after the festival on 17 June 2026. Credit line: The Art of Citymaking Festival.
- Speaker pack
- Headshots and biographies for confirmed speakers — available on request.
- Partner logos
- Full partner mark suite, with usage guidelines.
- Fact sheet
- One-page summary of the festival, programme arc, and the NYT Debate.
- Boilerplate
- Approved short-form description of the festival and convening organisation — see below.
Cities are shaped every day — through people, culture, and the rhythms of lived experience. The Art of Citymaking brings together urban leaders, creatives, policymakers and practitioners to explore how cities evolve as places to live, connect, and participate. Staged in Singapore on 17 June 2026 at the Glass Dome — Landmark of Good, the inaugural festival gathers more than 50 speakers from over 15 countries across keynotes, panels, film and immersive experiences, organised around three themes — Adaptive Neighbourhoods, Urban Software, and Placemaking & Legacy — and closing with an Oxford-style debate in partnership with The New York Times. Convened by Leadership for Cities, supported by The Citymaking Circle.
Festival President: Charles Landry. Festival Director: Anupam Yog.
Press enquiries for The Art of Citymaking Festival are handled by Black Dot in Singapore.
- Accreditation
- On-site press accreditation available — please write to Black Dot with your outlet, role, and intended coverage. Limited capacity.
- Partnerships
- circle@leadershipforcities.com
Tag @theartofcitymaking in coverage of the festival.