Who Is the City For? Rethinking Mobility, Care and Public Space (Lisbon)

What changes when we design a city around the people who live in it? From the journey to school to the safety of a public square, everyday experiences reveal whose needs our streets serve and whose they overlook. Join us in Lisbon to explore how cities can make more space for care, connection and collective life. 

About the event

Cities are places where we work and consume, but also where we raise children, care for relatives, meet our neighbours and move through daily life. Yet these needs are often given less attention in urban planning than cars and economic activity. Women, children, older people and others who rely on accessible, safe public spaces feel the consequences particularly sharply. 

On Saturday 28 November 2026, the Green European Foundation, in collaboration with Instituto José Tengarrinha bring together local councillors, activists and urban practitioners in Lisbon to ask what a more convivial city looks like in practice. Drawing on experiences from Portugal and other European cities, the event explores feminist urbanism, mobility and the design of public spaces. 

The day combines discussions with hands-on workshops. Participants consider how to develop a vision for their own city and how to work with the different people and interests involved in changing urban mobility.

Programme

Saturday 28 November 2026 

10:00–10:30 | Introduction: The Convivial City

10:30–11:15 | Discussion: Feminist urbanism and public space

11:15–11:30 | Coffee break

11:30–12:45 | Workshop: Developing a vision for our cities

• Dirk Holemans – Director, Oikos think tank

12:45–14:00 | Lunch

14:00–14:45 | Discussion: Rethinking urban mobility

14:45–15:00 | Coffee break

15:00–16:15 | Workshop: Mapping the people and interests behind mobility plans

• Dirk Holemans – Director, Oikos think tank

16:15–16:30 | Closing 

Programme and speakers are being finalised.

Practicalities

Date: Saturday 28 November 2026, 09:00-16:30
Location: Jardins do Bombarda, Rua Gomes Freire 161, 1150-318 Lisbon, Portugal 
Language: TBC
Catering: All food and refreshments provided during the event, including the coffee breaks and networking lunch, will be vegetarian and vegan.
Registration: The event is free and open to everyone who registers via this link. 

This event is organised by the Green European Foundation, in collaboration with Instituto José Tengarrinha and with the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation.