On 9 and 10 July 2026, some 600 participants from the fields of landscape architecture, urban development, horticulture, academia, politics, business and civil society gathered at the Holzmarkt 25 in Berlin. Under the theme ‘Connection’, this year’s edition of URBAN UTOPIA used plants as a common starting point for professional exchange, new collaborations and discussions about liveable, climate-resilient cities.
The conference was
complemented by a specialist exhibition open to the public, which attracted more than 1,000 visitors.
With 150 speakers and six rooms hosting parallel sessions, the programme was exceptionally diverse. Topics covered included building botany, sponge cities, urban tree strategies, collaboratively developed urban forests, building greening, the use of plants, environmental education and new forms of communication. Stakeholders from Bavaria were also represented – including Ferdinand Ludwig from the Technical University of Munich, Klaus Körber from the Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture, and Marie-Luise Schega from Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences.
Between specialist conference and festival
The particular strength of URBAN UTOPIA lay not so much in its in-depth exploration of a single specialist topic as in the interconnection of different fields of knowledge and practice. Landscape architecture was not considered in isolation, but was placed in relation to horticulture, architecture, research, culture, politics, activism and start-ups.
It is precisely here that the event’s professional relevance lies: the necessary transformation of urban spaces cannot be achieved by individual disciplines acting alone. Urban greening must be planned, financed, cultivated, maintained, made politically possible and communicated to society all at the same time. URBAN UTOPIA highlighted these interdependencies and created numerous informal spaces in which contacts and potential collaborations could develop beyond the actual programme items.
At the same time, the broad thematic scope led to a certain lack of clarity. Given the many parallel formats, priorities had to be set consistently. The event is therefore no substitute for a thematically focused specialist conference. Its strength lies rather in opening up new perspectives, connecting previously separate networks and highlighting the plant and greening sector as a shared field of action.
In conclusion, Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider emphasised the importance of urban greenery, shaded open spaces and accessible water resources for climate adaptation. This also made it clear that the topics discussed at the conference are no longer merely internal concerns within the sector, but form part of the core tasks of urban development and public services.
Sequel already announced
Following the inaugural event in 2025 and the significantly expanded second edition, the format is set to continue. The next URBAN UTOPIA Conference & Festival has already been announced for 1 and 2 July 2027. It will be interesting to see whether the connections forged can be translated into concrete projects, collaborations and political initiatives by then.
Reporting
from Berlin: our junior spokesperson Jakob Endemann
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