Emergence
Festival of Future Cities
Reimagining the future of mid and small cities of India
29
30
& 31
October 2026
Panjim, Goa
About the festival
Hundreds of small cities across India are poised on the edge of transformation: this is where the next phase of urbanisation will unfold.
Through this festival, we will explore and reimagine small cities as living systems that evolve through interconnected decisions. Because when the different aspects of the city are addressed together, the result is bigger than just individual improvements: it is transformative.
Not just another climate convening
01
Collective Intelligence
Participatory learning clinics with key partners working on cities to exchange knowledge, build solutions, and shape futures
02
Climate as Culture
Narrtive sprints, theatre plays, storybuilding, music and film screenings to highlight how climate is changes our way of being
03
City and the Citizen
Engaging one of the most important stakeholders of the city – its citizens, through walks, games and more
04
City Governance and Leadership
Engaging city officials, mayors and decision makers in shaping the future of cities.
Partners
Knowledge & Culture
Venue
Schedule
Sessions and registration, listed by day.
29ThursdayOctober 2026
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Venue: Taj Vivanta
FES – From Climate Plans to City Action: Building resilient cities
City Governance and Leadership
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No sessions match the current filters on this day.
30FridayOctober 2026
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Venue: IPSCDL
The Emerging Panjim: Rethinking Buildings, Business & Urban Life/ IFC
Collective Intelligence
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Venue: IPSCDL
Cities in Dialogue: Lessons on Managing Wet Waste with Global Methane Hub
Collective Intelligence
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Venue: IPSCDL
When Extremes Collide: Planning for Heat and Flood Risk in Indian Cities | CSTEP/
Collective Intelligence
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Venue: Gitanjali
Storiculture – climate tech story building panel + workshop (roundtable room + foyer)
Citizens and City
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Venue: IPSCDL
Clean Air by Design: Rethinking Air Quality in Emerging Cities| Clean Air Fund
Collective Intelligence
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No sessions match the current filters on this day.
31SaturdayOctober 2026
All day
All day
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Venue: IPSCDL
Shaping Cities, Strengthening Systems : Urban Reforms / Roundtable, UCAN
Collective Intelligence
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Venue: Sadhana Dell Art
City Minds: The Emotional Life Of An Emerging City / Sangath
Collective Intelligence
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Venue: IPSCDL
Makers Asylum panel/ workshop – Making the City: Can Distributed Production Build Urban Resilience?
Collective Intelligence
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Venue: Sadhana Dell Art
Gaming simulation workshop| Design your ward, Blue Ribbon Movement
Citizens and City
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No sessions match the current filters on this day.
Festival map
Panjim, Goa — six festival venues. Select one to jump to its sessions.
Panjim
A gathering for the future of our small cities
Small and medium cities of India not merely immature versions of large metros. They are living urban systems with their own histories, cultures, ecologies, and patterns of growth. Like evolving organisms, they are growing through countless interactions between people, institutions, infrastructure, nature, and economies.
Through this festival, we hope to spark a chain reaction that transforms the networks, narratives, and relationships that define our cities, creating a better quality of life than our current urban systems offer.