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Placemaking Week 2026
2026-06-24 08:00 - 2026-06-26 17:00 UTC | Detroit, Michigan, United States
Overview
Placemaking Week 2026 is a global conference bringing together placemakers, urban designers, community leaders, and city stakeholders for three days of immersive learning, networking, and hands-on workshops. The event emphasizes leaving a lasting public space legacy in host cities and promotes knowledge exchange across disciplines and sectors.
Theme
The 2026 edition, hosted in Detroit, Michigan, USA, carries the theme: “From Recovery to Resilience through Placemaking”. Inspired by Detroit’s journey from economic hardship and population decline to urban resurgence, the conference explores how community-centered design and placemaking strategies can help cities tackle contemporary challenges and foster resilience.
Program at a Glance

Date
Event

Tuesday, June 23
Pre-event Registration (Evening)

Wednesday, June 24
Opening Plenary (Morning), Mobile Workshops (Afternoon), Opening Reception (Evening)

Thursday, June 25
Plenary Session (Morning), Breakout Sessions (Afternoon), Side Events (Evening)

Friday, June 26
Breakout Sessions (Morning & Afternoon), Closing Reception (Evening)

Highlights & Context
Detroit’s remarkable recovery provides the perfect setting for Placemaking Week. Key revitalization projects include Campus Martius Park, the Riverfront, Eastern Market, the Joe Louis Greenway, and neighborhood parks, demonstrating how strategic placemaking transforms neglected areas into thriving destinations.

Attendees will explore these sites through mobile workshops and site visits, gaining practical insights into community-driven urban design, social engagement, and sustainable placemaking strategies that strengthen civic pride and identity.
Who Should Attend

Urban designers and architects
Community leaders and planners
City officials and policymakers
Nonprofit and civic organizations
Academics and students in urban studies, architecture, and social innovation

Event Details

Dates
June 23–26, 2026

Location
Detroit, Michigan, USA

Type
Conference / Workshop

Hosts
Placemaking Week & Downtown Detroit Partnership

Website
https://www.placemakingweek.com

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
Placemaking Week 2026 in Detroit provides an immersive platform for architects, urban designers, and community leaders to explore inclusive, resilient urban design through workshops, plenaries, and on-site visits to revitalized spaces like Campus Martius Park and the Riverfront, offering practical strategies for fostering civic engagement, social interaction, and long-term public space transformation.
Conclusion
Placemaking Week 2026 in Detroit offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage with placemaking strategies in a city that exemplifies resilience and reinvention. Through workshops, plenaries, and on-site experiences, attendees will gain actionable insights into designing inclusive, thriving public spaces and fostering long-term urban resilience.
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5th International Placemaking Week 2026
2026-06-24 08:00 - 2026-06-26 17:00
Event Brief
Placemaking Week 2026 is the 5th global gathering of placemakers that highlights practical learning, strategy sharing, and the exploration of public space ideas. The event sees the collaboration of practitioners, urban planners, community leaders, and researchers who will present and discuss the different methods that ultimately bring about lively public facilities and put community-centered initiatives in the foreground. It is set up as a professional forum where knowledge can be exchanged and practical activities in the field of public space development can be carried out.
Intent
This gathering is supposed to be a melting pot of people whose work and skills are related to placemaking, urban design, public space activation, and community engagement across the sectors and disciplines that exist. They will be sharing learning and concrete strategies for advancing placemaking both locally and globally.
Purpose
Placemaking Week 2026 is designed to be a dynamic place where workshops, sessions, experiential events, and discussions are taking place helping the participants to discover real-world public places and come up with the appropriate methods and strategies for community strengthening through place-based actions.
Requirements
As a rule, participation requires the registration for the whole week’s program. The presenters and facilitators are chosen through the call for proposals process which is open until fall 2025; those whose proposals are accepted will be included in the schedule.
Review Committee
A committee consisting of representatives from the conference partners and public space practice experts reviewed the proposals and selected the contributions based on such criteria as content quality and the ability to advance placemaking discourse.
Fees

Category
Details

Registration
Early registration details to be announced (expected February 2026)

Speaker registration (approx)
$295 USD *estimated based on earlier call for proposers

Rewards

Type
Details

Professional benefit
Opportunity to engage directly with placemaking practitioners, learn hands‑on strategies, and expand professional network in public space practice

Dates

Item
Information

Event period
June 24 to June 26 2026

Host city
Detroit Michigan United States

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
Placemaking Week 2026 is a platform for professionals in the public space industry and urban planning to discuss and share their experiences. The event is a great opportunity to learn about and try out different techniques for making and improving urban spaces from the perspectives of architecture and urban design. The review committee evaluates all submitted papers according to their quality and relevance, but there is no formal competition of urban design, and the main purpose of the event is to share knowledge and meet people. The event includes structured workshops and hands-on activities that provide insights applicable to real-life placemaking projects. Thus, for professional development, the event is seen as valuable rather than a competition for recognition.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Placemaking Week 2026 is a forum for the professional community of placemaking and urban planning to interface and share. The event is designed to support hands‐on learning, interactive sessions and experience‐driven engagement with public spaces rather than focus on product‐centric approaches or market‐oriented trade shows. The registration details and speaker engagement are disclosed but the specific fee schedules and detailed program content are likely to be released nearer to early 2026. The creative use of space involved in the event and the knowledge sharing that takes place based on the collaboration among the participants are the principal sources of the event’s value.
Explore the Latest Architecture Exhibitions & Conferences

ArchUp offers daily updates on top global architectural exhibitions, design conferences, and professional art and design forums. Follow key architecture competitions, check official results, and stay informed through the latest architectural news worldwide. ArchUp is your encyclopedic hub for discovering events and design-driven opportunities across the globe.
