The Urbanism Awards Party + Joyful Places panel

This year’s Urbanism Awards Party will take place at Gazette in Clerkenwell, on Wednesday 11 November, preceded by a learning plenary round the corner, at the AoU’s nearby offices.

Gazette sits on St John’s Square, at the heart of Clerkenwell – London’s urbanism quarter, known for its international design reputation and its claim to “more architects per square mile than anywhere else in the world.”

The party will be hosted here, while the afternoon session will take place round the corner, at the AoU’s offices in the Alan Baxter building on Cowcross Street, another well-loved hub of urbanism.

15:00 (14:30 registration)
Joyful Places Panel: Creating places people love
Venue: Cowcross Street*

Following online Learning from the Finalists sessions in October, the afternoon learning plenary will pick up this year’s theme question, Joy: How does the place contribute to a sense of play, joy, and delight felt by a range of users? as a lens through which to further explore the seven awards criteria. With panellists representing a breadth of urbanist perspectives, such as housing, transport, and nature, the discussion will draw from and build on ideas from the 2026 finalists.

With panellists Sarah Allan (MHCLG), Duncan Laird (National Trust), and Dr Idrees Rasouli (ARU). Click here for more details.

18:00 – 22:00
The Urbanism Awards Party
Venue: Gazette Clerkenwell*

Fueled by all the talk of joyful placemaking, the celebrations will kick off in the evening with the party! Here we’ll not only announce this year’s winning Streets + Spaces, Neighbourhood, Town / Small City, and European City, but we’ll connect with finalist representatives and fellow urbanists from across Europe over drinks and a relaxed dinner.

*These two venues are approximately a 5 minute walk apart. There will be a 1.5 hour break in between sessions to give attendees a chance to freshen up, explore Clerkenwell, or enjoy one of the area’s many bars for a preprandial!