Mad City – international urban planning conference in Riga

On May 30 and 31 an international urban planning event Mad City Happening 2019 will take place in Riga for the third year in a row with goals: to bring the newest urban development ideas to Riga, to burst and connect different “bubbles” of Riga – scientists, entrepreneurs, bankers, IT specialists, environment enthusiasts, architects, engineers, artists, anthropologists, politicians and urban planners and to develop innovative solutions for territories in Riga.

This year’s theme is “Knowledge and The City” and it will take place in the left bank of Daugava, in the territory, which often is called the “knowledge mile”, a number of significant development projects are being implemented, the establishment of Rail Baltica stop and a number of infrastructure improvement measures are planned.

The two-day event is going to be an intensive process of learning and collaboration. On the first day, participants will take part in lectures and discussions on innovation districts, their principles and global case-studies, as well as discussing micro-mobility and its potential. One of the speakers will be Michail Galanakis, professor at the University of Helsinki (Finland), with a presentation on the social aspects of public space. In the second half of the day, universities and companies will present their future plans in 5-minute stories.

On the second day, hackathon teams from 15 countries will work to create solutions on several issues, like better connections for pedestrians, cyclists and micro-mobility solutions between the buildings of the “knowledge mile” and regular ferry connection across Daugava.

Livestream from events will be able to watch on LMT Straume.

Mad City is supported by the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture and the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Latvia.