Meet the leaders transforming our cities

Carlos Moreno is a Franco-Colombian urban planner and professor based in Paris, best known for pioneering the “15-Minute City” concept, promoting sustainable, human-centric urban living where children and families can thrive. His ideas have been widely adopted globally. Carlos serves as a scientific advisor to international organizations and is a fellow of the American Academy of Housing and Communities. He has received multiple prestigious awards, including the OBEL Award (2021), the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour (2022), and the Global Leadership Award for Sustainable Development (2024).

Acclaimed author of Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change — hailed as “a landmark and a lightning storm” by the New Yorker and recognized as a Best Book of the Year by both the New Yorker and NPR. A powerful voice for working families and reproductive justice whose insights on urban planning center children’s needs and experiences. Her compelling work has graced the pages of The New York Times, The Nation, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic, while her dynamic presence has captivated audiences on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and NPR’s Fresh Air. Her 2021 TED talk, “What Working Parents Really Need from Workplaces,” resonated with over one million viewers, demonstrating her exceptional ability to connect with diverse audiences on critical social issues.

Join us to hear Angela, a Seattle-based thought leader, share her visionary perspective on creating truly child-friendly urban environments.

In 1991, Eva Kail curated an exhibition of photography that depicted the everyday travel patterns of eight girls and women in Vienna, revealing a perspective of urban space that had never been considered in the city’s urban planning policy, and sparked a conversation that thirty years later has fundamentally transformed how the city sees its own purpose. Two years later Kail led the newly formed “Office of Women” in city hall, which immediately began producing groundbreaking research, including showing how women’s mobility patterns tended to be long sequences of many short stops that ended up exorbitantly expensive compared to the typical male work commuter, and led to a restructuring of transit fares. “Trip chaining” has become a fundamental concept in child-friendly planning today.

For the Conference topic most relevant is the Concept of Gender sensitive parks and playground design, which Vienna implements consequently, based on an eye opening,social science research, 6 model projects and their evaluation and general detailed planning recommendations. Nowadays every new or redesigned public park or playground follows these promising planning principles. Insights like these fed into Vienna’s gender mainstreaming policy which, under Kail’s leadership, has become a globally renowned model, inspiring replicas at the UN, and cities across Europe. In Vienna it has influenced 60 development projects to date, the most recent of which is Europe’s largest new district, Aspern Seestadt, which will eventually house 20,000 people in an area of 240 hectares.

Retired in 2024, Kail will share some reflections on her illustrious career which is still only barely coming into focus for how deeply influential it has been, and will certainly continue to be over the next century of city making.

Dinah Bornat’s book All to Play For: How to Design Child-Friendly Housing (RIBA Publishers, 2025) is both a plea and a guide—addressed to the UK government in the face of the 1.5 million homes they are promising to deliver – to work with evidence and specifically, consider the needs of children in doing so. Bornat’s research, advocacy, and design practice folds children’s and young people’s views and experiences into the function of their homes and the spaces around them. Her research reveals how our understanding of what makes “good housing” never bothers to observe children’s behavior, let alone speak with them.

At Start with Children Dinah will share multi-house and neighborhood layouts she has studied alongside people living there that prioritize children’s need for doorstep play and places to safely roam, as well as parent’s need for community, and what developers and councils need to know about their benefits for the health of cities.

Tim Gill is an independent scholar, writer, and consultant based in London and a global advocate for children’s outdoor play and mobility. He is the author of Urban Playground: How Child-Friendly Planning and Design Can Save Cities (RIBA Publications) and No Fear: Growing Up in a Risk-Averse Society (described in the New York Times as “a handbook for the movement for freer, riskier play”). Tim is a UK Design Council Ambassador. His consultancy clients include corporates, public bodies, and NGOs from throughout the UK and around the world, and he has spoken to audiences in over 25 countries across six continents. A former director of the Children’s Play Council (now Play England), he was seconded to the UK civil service to lead a government review into children’s play in 2003. Tim is a Churchill Fellow who has studied child-friendly urban planning in North and South America, the Middle East, and Europe. He holds degrees in philosophy and psychology from Oxford and London Universities, and an honorary doctorate in education from Edge Hill University. He is also an honorary patron of the UK Forest School Association. Tim writes for the mainstream media, trade, and academic publishing, and appears regularly on radio and television.

Sam Balto is a passionate Physical Education teacher with over a decade of experience across Washington, DC, Boston, and Portland. Throughout his career, he has been a tireless advocate for active transportation among students. After successfully leading walking school buses for six years, Sam launched a bike bus initiative at Alameda Elementary in 2022 – a program that captured international attention and was even recognized by the White House. Today, Sam is expanding his vision through Bike Bus World, a movement dedicated to inspiring and supporting communities in creating their own bike buses, transforming school commutes into healthier, safer, and more joyful experiences for children everywhere.

Renowned architecture critic and author Adam Gebrian moved with his family to Barcelona in 2017, where his partner would work on her PhD, and he would explore the city’s design heritage each day with their two-year old son. But standing across from legend Antonio Gaudi’s first work – a street lamp from 1879 in Plaça Real – his child’s fascination was instead a large rain puddle just beneath it. “That’s when everything changed.” 

That lesson inspired Three Months in Barcelona, a book that is part architectural guidebook, part memoir, in which Gebrian recounts learning to see the city from the eyes of a toddler and what it reveals about everything from cities’ maintenance and logistics systems, to broad, universal values in master works of architecture. 

The recipient of the prestigious Czech “Architect of the Year” award in 2015, Adam has since written similar accounts in Two Months in Lisbon, Summer in Tenerife, Seven Months in Raleigh, New York, Chicago, and is currently developing a next book on Costa Rica. 

Jonny Anstead is the co-founding partner of TOWN, the largest co-housing builder in the UK. 

TOWN is the developer of Marmalade Lane, a recently built project in Cambridge, UK. The designers Mole Architects, describe the whole site as “essentially a collective playground for kids,” and is recognized as a best-practice model of a co-housing development that maximizes opportunities for free unstructured play for children and an ease of community support for parents.

Anstead will share what drives TOWN’s ethos as a housing developer to “do things differently,”focusing on co-housing, they help ownership collectives through the process of designing together, as well as experimenting with innovating methods of finance in order to bring down costs so that these models of housing are accessible to lower-income residents.

“It is of utmost importance that the urban child has daily access to nature.” 

Helle Nebelong carries the torch of the outdoor adventure play tradition that originated in Denmark in 1943 before spreading across Europe after the second world war. Across a thirty-year career, she is the designer of Copenhagen’s most popular playground, Valbyparken—widely considered to be one of the best playgrounds in the world, which regularly hosts visiting groups of experts who come to observe it. Helle’s philosophy puts children’s ideas at the center of the design process, giving space for the surprise of children’s creativity to influence major decisions in the layouts, not “what we want for them.” Her playgrounds are places of discovery that encourage the thrill of new risks and she was a pioneer of using what is found on and near the site, and re-using simple materials that are nearby. 

Her most recent project is the largest natural playground in the United States, a 16-acre park adjacent to Colene Hoose Elementary School outside Chicago, Illinois. The project includes 4-acres of restored prairie children can run through, and features 92 different types of trees, 100 different types of shrubs and grasses, and is the most significant planting of indigenous species in the state of Illinois in the past 25 years. 

To bring children to nature also means creating new opportunities for nature itself. 

Jakob Steen Christensen is a partner and co-founder of JAJA Architects. He and JAJA are behind numerous internationally recognized urban facilities such as Konditaget Lüders, Harboøre Activity Hall, and Streetmekka Aalborg. Driven by a core belief in fostering play and movement, JAJA is dedicated to creating climate-responsible cities, buildings, and urban spaces that inspire active and engaging lifestyles. 

Their playful approach emphasizes creating architecture that appeals to children. A notable example is GAME Streetmekka Aalborg, transforming a 1963 production building into a vibrant sports and culture center – now a very popular attraction in Aalborg, Denmark.

Visionary leader and founder of thinkfeelchange, a consultancy transforming how mission-driven organizations approach equity and systemic change in urban environments. With an impressive career spanning global challenges—from urban health and clean air initiatives to early childhood development and corporate sustainability—Patrin brings unparalleled expertise to the conversation on child-friendly urban planning. As the former Knowledge for Policy Director at the Bernard Van Leer Foundation, she was instrumental in developing the groundbreaking Urban95 program, reimagining cities from the perspective of a 95cm-tall three-year-old to create urban spaces where young children and families can truly thrive. Drawing from her multicultural background with roots in both the USA and Thailand, and now based in the UK, Patrin offers a unique global perspective on creating inclusive urban environments—all while maintaining her love for both mac & cheese and spicy noodle soups.

Join us to hear how Patrin’s innovative approach to urban transformation is reshaping cities for our youngest citizens.

Michael Feigelson has worked for Van Leer since 2007. Prior to his current role as CEO, he served as the Executive Director of the Bernard van Leer Foundation from 2014–2019. Before this he held several other positions including programme director, programme manager and programme officer.

Before Van Leer, Michael spent most of his career serving grassroots and non-profit organisations in Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe working with homeless and displaced children and families. Early in his career he also spent time as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company. He has degrees from Wesleyan and Princeton Universities, was a Thomas J. Watson fellow and served as a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Behaviour.

Michael enjoys writing (read some of his writing here), swimming and cycling. He is most proud of his role as a father to his daughter with whom he shares a love of music, books and chocolate.

Victoria is an urban planner and architect with a focus on inclusive urban development from the lens of child-friendly cities through policy innovation, participatory planning and community engagement. As a Senior Advisor for the Urban95 Programme in the Van Leer Foundation’s Support & Learning team, she provides technical assistance on urban planning and strategies globally across programme portfolios; contributing to the building of internal and external capacity on social-spatial impact in cities at scale.
She co-founded Huasipichanga, an organization dedicated to urban development using participatory and co-creation methodologies. At Huasipichanga, she developed innovative concepts and strategies to promote human-centric approaches in cities across Latin America particularly in sustainable mobility, public space, neighbourhood planning, social justice, and monitoring and evaluation.

Wouter Stes is a Belgian expert in urban safety and social inclusion, working as head of Policy Influencing with Plan International Belgium. For the past 7 years, he has been coordinating the launch and implementation of the Safer Cities program in 8 Belgian cities. At the heart of Wouter Stes’ work is Plan International’s 360° Safer Cities Approach, a holistic framework used to create inclusive, safe, and accessible urban spaces for girls and marginalized groups. This approach is based on four key pillars: Prevention, protection, prosecution and participation.
In 2023, Stes co-authored the Safer Cities Inspiration Guide for Local Authorities, a handbook designed to help municipalities develop a local policy against sexual harassment.

Liliia Oleshko is leading the Safer Cities project in Plan International Poland. Together with the Girls’ Advisory Group, Liliia works towards better future of Polish youth in all their diversity #UntilWeAreAllEqual. By implementing feminist- and youth-focused believes in her daily work, Liliia is aspiring to contribute to the well-being of the community. In her humanitarian work in Poland, Liliia has been working with displaced young people now living outside of Ukraine after the escalation of the Russian Ukrainian war and is helping them to deal with uncertainty that is now a big part of their lives.

Petra Truchla is a seasoned project manager with extensive experience in the real estate and construction industry. Petra has a strong focus on integrating modern technologies and sustainability into real estate projects, aiming to improve quality of life and environmental impact.

Petra has worked across multiple countries, including Slovakia, the UK, and the Netherlands, and has collaborated with teams in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and the wider CEE region. She holds a degree in Architecture and Civil Engineering from the Slovak University of Technology and is a certified member of the Slovak Chamber of Civil Engineers.

Professional Experience:

•  YIT Slovakia a.s. (2019 – Present): Project Manager overseeing major projects in Bratislava, last years mostly within the ZWIRN Area

•  HB Reavis UK (2018 – 2019): Product Design Manager for the One Waterloo project in London, focusing on concept design for a large-scale development consisting of multiple commercial buildings.

•  HB Reavis SK (2011 – 2018):  Held multiple roles, managed concept designs for significant projects, including a Smart City initiative, working on projects across CEE.

•  Central European Project Management (2008 – 2010): Senior Engineer/Architect managing design processes for various commercial projects.

•  Sorba Projects bv, NL (2006 – 2008):  Engineer involved in the reconstruction of St. Pancreas Station in London.

•  Ateliér Žalman (2004 – 2006): Junior Architect working on residential projects.

He is working to transform the capital of Slovakia into a modern, compact, and polycentric city with well-connected transport and abundant greenery. Previously, as an advisor to the mayor, he played a key role in establishing what is now the functioning and strategic Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava.

Since 2014, he has been working at the Institute of Planning and Development, where he has led CAMP since 2017. CAMP is a multimedia gallery and community hub focused on the future of cities, with a clear emphasis on the general public, making it one of the most prominent centres of its kind in the world. He is a board member of the Association of Architecture Organizations (AAO), which brings together architectural organizations in the USA and Europe. He studied at the Institute of International Studies at Charles University and at the School of Economics and Management in Lund, Sweden.

Claudia is a founder, author and university lecturer shaping sustainable and inclusive transportation across Europe. At POINT&, she and her team work with cities, companies and startups to co-create solutions that meet the needs of children, caregivers, youth and older adults alike. Recently, she published the Better Mobility Trendreport, drawing on insights from over 300 startups and 100 experts, and manages Europe’s leading innovation program for accessible, affordable, safe and sustainable mobility innovations. Claudia is also a co-initiator of Women in Mobility Austria and serves on the Austrian Ministry of Economics, Energy and Tourism’s startup advisory board.

Cllr Rezina Chowdhury is a leading figure in the London government as the Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council. For one of the most progressive parts of the city, she leads local work on transport and public realm, as well as the borough’s efforts to reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2030. Her work includes implementing healthy neighbourhoods, school streets, town centre transformations as well as active travel infrastructure and training. Rezina’s work is driven by her lived experience and a strong commitment to inclusive, community-focused policy. She is also active nationally, serving on the Labour Party’s National Policy Forum and supporting campaigns for climate and social justice.

Maria Zaborska is a member of Girls’ Advisory Group for the Safer Cities project by Plan International Poland and a youth activist. Currently Maria is studying at Chigwell School in England as a Polish Scholarship Scheme scholar.

Sue Ellen Stefanini brings extensive experience in managing complex humanitarian operations across crisis, post-crisis, and development contexts. Throughout her career, she has held leadership roles in diverse and challenging environments, consistently demonstrating a strong commitment to humanitarian principles and effective response coordination. Since 2022, she has been leading Plan International Poland activities, contributing to impactful programming and strategic direction.

Her work is driven by a deep motivation and passion for supporting the most vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on promoting gender equality and advancing the rights of children and young people, especially girls. She is a dedicated advocate for a just and inclusive world, where all individuals, regardless of background, can realize their full potential and stand against all forms of discrimination.

Deputy Mayor of Riga Linda Ozola – a Latvian philologist, interpreter, and politician. Her political career started in 2017 as a representative of the Riga City Council and continued as a Member of the Latvian Parliament Saeima. After municipal elections in 2020, she left Saeima for the position of Deputy
Mayor of Riga. Her responsibilities are international relations, security and public order, civil defence, corruption prevention and issues of good governance and transparency. Linda is a mother of twins; she is a hard-working person guided by values of humanism and sharing. She aims at making Riga an open and socially
responsible capital that offers high quality of life for its residents and city guests.

Arielle Geismar (she/her) is an organizer, advocate, creator, and strategist in human technology interaction. She has experience passing bills for young people on a state and federal level, mentoring nascent and foremost technology companies in ethics, and advising the Biden-Harris Transition Team on mental health. She has led essential advocacy campaigns around responsible technology, gender, and LGBTQ+ rights. An advocate since 16, her leadership has been recognized by the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, MTV, New Yorker, and noted in Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 and Forbes 30 Under 30 lists. She has created content for Patagonia, Toms, Meta, and more around progressive issues. Arielle served as Student Body President of George Washington University before she graduated with her B.A. in International Affairs and International Science and Technology Policy. She is currently the Co-Chair of youth-led tech ethics organization Design It For Us. 

Atsani is a philanthropist, acting as the Director of Child and Youth Health for the FIA Foundation based in London and the lead for the Child Health Initiative. Before his role with the Foundation, he was the Manager of Global Road Safety Projects with the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, managing Fondation Botnar’s child road safety challenge, a global safer and sustainable mobility programme. Previous to this Atsani was the Lead for VicRoads International (Department of Transport), the road authority for the State Government of Victoria in Australia, responsible for winning and implementing international projects funded by multi-lateral banks such as the WB, ADB and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Atsani also has had professional experience in the consulting and energy industry.  He holds a Master of Commerce from Melbourne University and a double degree in International Trade and Management.

Dr. Diana Dulf is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Public Health, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, coordinating the work on injury and violence prevention in the department. Dr. Dulf’s PhD work was on road traffic safety, with a focus on children as vulnerable populations. The research developed as part of the PhD work set the groundwork for a multi-sectorial approach to increase child passenger safety in Cluj-Napoca, funded by the Fondation Botnar. One of the major results was the development of the Child Car Safety App, available in both Romanian and English. Currently, Dr. Dulf is leading the research work on the Safe Journeys to School project funded by FIA Foundation and implemented with 10 schools in Cluj-Napoca.

Tayo Isa-Daniel is an award winning urban researcher and architect working as a Senior Design Researcher within AtkinsRéalis. Tayo is interested is in the social architecture of cities. She has worked with private and public sector on urban advisory projects, exploring child friendly design frameworks, and participatory design methods, as well as gender mainstreaming approaches to urban planning. Tayo was previously Project officer and Researcher at LSE Cities and worked as architect at Dublin-based commercial architecture firm BKD where she specialised in residential design. Tayo is the youngest Trustee for Make Space for Girls, a charity that campaigns for parks and public spaces to be designed with young girls in mind.

Emily Carr is Deputy Director of EASST (Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport), focusing on road safety and sustainable transport across Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. She leads EASST’s flagship Safe School Zone project, advocating for 30km/h speed limits near schools, improving safety at over 700 schools and protecting 370,000 children. Emily authored a school zone safety toolkit for NGOs and developed a road safety education pack used by 25,000+ children in 14 languages—earning a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in 2022. She also oversees community engagement, education, and capacity-building projects, including World Bank and ADB-supported campaigns in Tajikistan and Mongolia.

Emily joined EASST in 2015 after a decade with the John Smith Trust, supporting young leaders across the region, and has prior experience in UK government and the voluntary sector.

Joe Waters is the co-founder and CEO of Capita, an independent think tank dedicated to fostering flourishing families and communities. Established in 2018, Capita aims to understand and respond to global shifts by crafting innovative policies and collaborating with leaders. Joe has launched initiatives addressing significant transformations—social, cultural, technological, and more—impacting families worldwide. In addition, he serves as a Senior Advisor at Openfields in Greenville, South Carolina. Formerly, he was the Executive Vice President of the Institute for Child Success and a 2021 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow. Joe lives in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains with his wife and children. 

As Head of City Partnerships at EIT Urban Mobility, Julienne Chen stands at the intersection of innovation and urban transformation, driving Europe’s transition toward sustainable urban mobility and livable urban spaces. Working directly with municipalities and public entities, she champions the development, testing, and implementation of cutting-edge mobility solutions where they matter most—in real urban environments.

A passionate advocate for inclusive design, Julienne leads initiatives that bring diverse citizen and end-user perspectives into mobility projects, ensuring solutions truly address local needs and contexts rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.

She operates within Europe’s largest transport innovation network—EIT Urban Mobility—established in 2019 as an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). This dynamic ecosystem connects public and private stakeholders, providing crucial access to markets, talent, financing, and knowledge while transforming cities into living laboratories where industry, research, and academic partners collaborate to solve tangible urban challenges through smarter transportation of people, goods, and waste.

Marco te Brömmelstroet holds the chair of Urban Mobility Futures at the University of Amsterdam. As a social scientist, he is interested in how our mobility systems are manifestations of our underlying narratives of what mobility, streets, and society are for. As academic director of The Lab of Thought, and on LinkedIn, he actively disrupts and challenges that thinking with the aim to improve cognitive leniency and accelerate the mobility transition. 

Amongst other works, he co-authored the bestseller Movement: How to Take Back Our Streets and Transform Our Lives with journalist Thalia Verkade. This enlightening and provocative book challenges readers to rethink urban transportation by questioning the dominance of cars in public spaces and advocating for people-centered urban design. Drawing on examples from Dutch cities, the authors explore how reclaiming streets for pedestrians and cyclists can lead to safer, cleaner, and more vibrant communities. Movement has been praised for its insightful analysis and compelling vision for the future of urban mobility. ​

Matěj Hájek is a Czech artist, founder of SKULL studio and founding member of the art activist group Ztohoven. His creative work blurs the boundaries between sculpture, architecture, and land art. He has been dedicated to exploring the relationship between sculpture, play, and learning, manifested in the form of extensive projects involving children’s playgrounds. In 2021, he was invited to the play elements section by the chief curator of the Venice Architecture Biennale to create an installation titled „OFF FENCE / PLOT.“ Projects he has been involved in have received awards such as the Grand Prix of Architects, Timber Building of the Year, and nominations for the Czech Grand Design. Since October 2019, he has been pursuing his doctorate at his alma mater, the Academy of Fine Arts.

Benjie leads global transportation innovation as CEO of the Shared-Use Mobility Center and Chair of the Global Network for Popular Transportation. Through his leadership of the Shared Mobility 2030 Action Agenda, he’s driving collaborative initiatives to transform urban mobility systems worldwide.

A respected voice in sustainable transportation policy, Benjie serves on several influential bodies including the UITP Informal Transportation Working Group, the Digital Transport for Africa Partners Committee, and the MobiliseYourCity Steering Committee. He is also a Senior Fellow for Mobility at the Canadian Urban Institute and previously served on the board of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

Benjie brings practical public sector experience to his work, having pioneered as the first-ever Chief of Strategy and Innovation for the Seattle Department of Transportation, where he helped reshape urban mobility approaches in one of North America’s fastest-growing cities.

Rune Boserup is an architect from Aarhus School of Architecture and Urban Directors at Cobe, where he is also part of the management team. He has led the Nordhavn development in Copenhagen for over 15 years, gaining deep experience in large-scale urban planning, infrastructure, public spaces and stakeholder coordination. With a strong understanding of all planning and construction phases, Rune excels at integrating the needs of users and stakeholders into lively and livable urban spaces for people. He is a skilled urban planner, architect, and designer with a passion for shaping complex city developments with a social profile.

Paul Supawanich is the Director of Programs for the Global Designing Cities Initiative and oversees the organization’s programmatic efforts to promote safe, equitable and sustainable public space and street design around the world. He brings more than fifteen years of experience working with cities and public transport agencies across the world to improve transportation outcomes around livability, jobs access, and safety. He has a background in transport engineering and urban planning and has worked as a consultant, technology executive, and served within city government. Paul received his Bachelors in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech and Masters Degree in City Planning and Transportation Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

As CEO and co-founder of Early Ideas Limited (trading as Tandem) and Clinical Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Dr. Rob Hughes brings extensive expertise in child health and development to the Start with Children 2025 summit.

Dr. Hughes holds impressive credentials with a medical degree from the University of Bristol, a Bachelor of Science in International Health from University College London, a Master of Public Health from Harvard as a Kennedy Scholar, and a PhD in Child Health and Development from LSHTM. His career spans clinical practice, international development, academia, and industry innovation. As Health and Nutrition Adviser for the UK Department for International Development, he led assignments across Pakistan, Yemen, and Zambia. At the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation in London, he pioneered their Early Childhood Development strategy and programmes as a Senior Fellow.

At LSHTM, Dr. Hughes teaches epidemiology and global health while conducting research on environmental impacts on child development, particularly in urban low- and middle-income countries, and exploring the effects of climate change and emerging technologies.

In 2023, he co-founded Tandem to develop ‘tech for good’ solutions for early childhood, creating digital tools that enhance early childhood experiences with particular focus on supporting underprivileged communities. Dr. Hughes currently serves on the Play Commission, convened by the Centre for Young Lives, further demonstrating his commitment to improving childhood development opportunities.

Chief Architect of the City of Košice directs the activities of the Office of the City Architect (UHA) and promotes for Košice that “the city should be an active initiator of its strategic prosperous development and Baukultur with the added value of a friendly human cultural environment of a 21st century Central European city”. He seeks to gradually transform UHA into an innovative and creative interdisciplinary institution for contemporary conceptual city urban planning. He co-initiated the completion of the new City – regulation masterplan for Košice directed by UHA with the aim of strengthening the concept of a compact sustainable city. He actively advocates for transparent communication and public participation.

Prior to Košice, he was the founding director of the Office of Architecture of the City of Karlovy Vary, co-author of the StrategyKV 2040, advisor to the Governor of the Karlovy Vary Region and visiting teacher at the Technical University in Prague.

While studying architecture in Dortmund – Germany, he was attracted to the creative, pragmatic Dutch approach to architecture, urbanism and realization of the then young Amsterdam-based Benthem Crouwel Architects, for whom he worked continuously as Senior Project Architect from 1990-2018. He is the co-author of public buildings in the fields of culture, education, infrastructure and urban planning realized by this Dutch studio.

He lives and works in Amsterdam, Košice and the Czech Republic.

Slavomír Habánik is responsible for the implementation of the company’s strategy, coordination and execution of projects. Before joining Lucron in 2022, he was involved in the management and acquisitions of companies focused on mechanical engineering, electricity/heat production and insurance. Before 2009, he worked for 7 years in the banking sector in the area of ​​financing small and medium-sized enterprises and trading in financial markets.

Juraj Benetin is an architect and urban planner behind many transformative projects in Bratislava. As co-founder and managing director of Compass studio, established in 2004, he has become one of the leading figures in Slovak architecture. His personal and professional philosophy is built on a simple yet profound idea – creating not just buildings, but genuine homes. Spaces where people live fulfilling lives in harmonious communities.

Under joint leadership with architect Matej Grébert, Compass has become one of Slovakia’s most prominent architectural studios, specializing in creating vibrant urban districts. In Bratislava’s historic center, they’re breathing new life into Vydrica; in the inner city, they’re delivering projects like Urban Residence and Nová Vajnorská; on the city’s outskirts, they’re creating modern neighborhoods such as Slnečnice and Nový Ružinov; and they’re sensitively transforming brownfields in projects like Zwirn and Matadorka.

As a native of Bratislava and graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at Slovak University of Technology, Juraj has a special relationship with the capital city. His passion for waterfront urbanization and active participation in discussions about urban development make him not just a successful architect, but an important visionary shaping Bratislava’s future.

Martin Hrouda merges his twin passions of architecture and skateboarding to reimagine urban spaces that foster community engagement and active living. As co-founder of U/U Studio, he leads a design practice committed to transforming public spaces through innovative, inclusive, and community-centered approaches.

Under Martin’s creative direction, U/U Studio develops urban solutions that make cities more dynamic and accessible for all generations. His philosophy embraces the intersection of design, sport, and social connection, creating environments that encourage both physical activity and meaningful community interaction. His landmark project, the Skatepark Janka Kráľa beneath Bratislava’s SNP Bridge, exemplifies his vision by revitalizing a neglected urban area into a thriving destination for sports enthusiasts, cultural events, and diverse social gatherings—proving that thoughtful design can transform overlooked spaces into vital community assets.

Catherine Gall bridges global business experience with cutting-edge urban research as Executive Director of Chaire ETI (Entrepreneurship Territory Innovation), the Sorbonne-based research lab renowned for developing the groundbreaking “15-minute City / 30-minute Territory Model.” Working alongside Professors Carlos Moreno, Didier Chabaud, and Florent Pratlong since 2020, she leads initiatives that challenge conventional city planning paradigms.

With over 25 years of strategy and innovation expertise in the corporate interiors industry at Steelcase Inc., Catherine has orchestrated workplace transformation projects across five continents. Her international perspective is enhanced by her education in Business Management from the Strasbourg School of Business and professional experience spanning five countries.

Catherine led the pioneering “Culture Code” ethnographic research exploring how cultural factors influence working and learning environments across 11 countries. As an author and visiting lecturer at European universities, she continues to investigate the complex interplay between space, technology, culture, and human behavior—consistently seeking solutions that create positive impact for people and organizations through human-centered design methodologies.

As the senior foreign correspondent at global media brand Monocle and the executive producer of Monocle Radio, Carlota Rebelo brings valuable insights on urban development and city innovation to the Start with Children 2025 summit. Her work on “The Urbanist” – one of the longest-running podcasts dedicated to city building and urban issues – has established her as a leading voice in conversations about creating better cities for all residents. Through her reporting from major global gatherings such as the World Economic Forum in Davos and UN COP meetings, Carlota regularly engages with mayors, planners, and citizens who are pioneering meaningful change in urban environments.

Carlota’s expertise is documented in her contributions to Monocle’s collection of city travel guides and prestigious publications like “The Monocle Guide to Building Better Cities” and “The Monocle Companion: Fifty Ideas for Building Better Cities.” With her international perspective – from her Portuguese roots in Madeira Island to her experience as Monocle’s Los Angeles bureau chief tracking US politics – she offers summit participants a unique global viewpoint on creating vibrant, inclusive urban spaces that can better serve communities and their future generations.

Sandra is an urbanist and lead of the project City for Children at Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava. Collaborating with a diverse, multidisciplinary team of the City for Kids project, her mission is to improve access to public spaces for everyone, with a focus on school commutes and free play. The project aims at promoting active mobility for children through participation, behavioural interventions, communication, and urban design. She has studied in Bratislava and Amsterdam, giving her a well-rounded understanding of urban planning and the role of public spaces in society. Her career has been characterized by cross-sector collaboration, with a focus on social justice and inclusive design. As a parent of two children, she’s committed to projects that prepare communities for the future and make them more resilient.

Matúš Vallo has been the mayor of the capital city of Slovakia, Bratislava, since December 2018, when he won the municipal elections. He successfully defended his mandate in the following 2022 elections. His goal, which he has been fulfilling since taking office, is to make Bratislava a stronger, more resilient, greener, and more transparent city, with quality public spaces, accessible public transportation, and support for disadvantaged groups, together with his team. For his efforts to transform Bratislava into a greener city with quality public spaces, he received the World Mayor Future Award. He is a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship at Columbia University in New York, as well as scholarships from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Harvard University, which are exclusively offered to only forty mayors worldwide. He is also a co-founder of the Pact of Free Cities, which he established with the mayors of Warsaw, Prague, and Budapest in 2019.

Mgr. Lenka Antalová Plavuchová is the Deputy Mayor of Bratislava, focusing on urban rental housing and social policy. She is a very experienced municipal politician with a direct focus on affordable housing, the development of rental housing and the innovation strategy in obtaining the city’s housing fund regarding social impact and improving the availability of housing. Since 2010 she has been a local member of the Bratislava-Rača city district and since 2018 she has also been a member of the Bratislava city council. She has worked in community development, education policy and in several national projects within the non-governmental sector in Slovakia. She is the founder of a community center, which was created by the reconstruction of an old, abandoned place in Rača.

Prior to her appointment as Deputy Mayor of Bratislava, she worked as Vice-Mayor in the Bratislava-Rača district, focusing on public spaces, education and communication.

Petra Marko is an acclaimed architect and placemaking expert dedicated to creating people-centric cities and public spaces. She serves as CEO of the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava, driving strategic architecture, urban planning, and participatory placemaking initiatives to enhance quality of life. Prior to her role at MIB Petra co-founded and led a London-based placemaking practice active across public spaces design, town centres regeneration and masterplanning in the UK and Cenral Europe. She led the research and campaign for unlocking London’s small sites, sat on UK’s National Infrastructure Commission and taught as design tutor at The London School of Architecture. An advocate for greener cities and active commuting, Petra has co-authored VeloCity, a strategic vision for the future of the countryside; and Meanwhile City, a best practice and how-to guide for temporary interventions. After two decades abroad, she returned to Bratislava to effect positive change.

Juraj leads the Participation and Urban Studies Section at the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava, where he transforms sociological theory into practical urban solutions. Drawing on his academic background in sociology from Masaryk University in Brno, he expertly applies research methodologies to enhance public engagement across the city’s development initiatives.

As co-author of the influential Participation Manual and contributor to the strategic “Bratislava 2030” vision, Juraj has helped establish frameworks that ensure citizen voices—particularly those often unheard—shape Bratislava’s future. Since joining the Institute in 2019, he has championed inclusive approaches to urban planning that bridge academic rigor with community needs.

His team’s flagship “City for Kids” project exemplifies his citizen-centered philosophy, creating safer, more inclusive environments around Bratislava’s schools while meaningfully involving children in the design process. Beyond physical transformations, Juraj’s work promotes active mobility and temporary space activation, demonstrating how thoughtful urban interventions can foster vibrant community life across generations.

She serves as Professor at the Boston University (BU) Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and a Professor at the BU School of Public Health. At Boston Medical Center (BMC), she is the Vice Chair for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Department of Pediatrics and the Co-Director of the Grow Clinic for Children, which is a multispecialty clinic for children with failure to thrive. She is the Principal Investigator for the Boston Opportunity System Collaborative, which helps underserved Boston neighborhoods with employment and affordable housing opportunities. Dr. Sandel advocates for place-based investing—focusing on specific, disinvested neighborhoods and ZIP codes to address health inequities. She is also the Co-Lead Principal Investigator for Children’s HealthWatch at BMC, and the medical center’s lead of a $6.5-million housing and place-based community health initiative. She serves as a board member for a number of regional and national organizations including Enterprise Community Partners, and national advisory committees at American Academy of Pediatrics and CDC Advisory Committee for Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention.

Dr. Sandel has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and delivered testimony multiple times at both the state and federal level regarding children’s health, housing, and social determinants of health. In 1998, she published with other doctors at Boston Medical Center, the DOC4Kids report, a national report on how housing affected child health, the first of its kind, and is a nationally recognized expert on housing and child health. In 2001, she became the first medical director of the founding site for medical-legal partnerships, Medical-Legal Partnership-Boston, and from 2007-2016 she served as the Medical Director of the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership. Among her national awards, Dr. Sandel was the winner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency award for Environmental Leadership in Environmental Management in Treatment in Asthma in 2009.

Mayor of the city of Kadaň, previously the director of the city’s cultural organization, originally a secondary school teacher (English – History). But also a tourist guide, Wikipedian, amateur actor and astronomer, poet, slammer and translator

Illah van Oijen (PUNKT) has a diverse background spanning the Netherlands, Slovakia, and the USA. She’s an artist, writer, community developer, facilitator and consultant of projects most notably in Bratislava. As executive creative director of renomated urban NGO PUNKT she is a leading figure in participatory creative projects that lead to deep systemic changes on the level of small communities, neighborhoods, municipal politics leading to a more caring society that is based in systemic ecological thinking – and doing.

Gaia Romani was born in 1996. Her passion for politics began during her school years with her commitment to student organizations. At the age of 16, she joined the Democratic Party, where she started her activism within the Young Democrats community. After completing her classical studies, in 2016 she was elected Councilor in the Municipality 8 of Milan, where she chaired the Social Policy Commission. After graduating in Law at the University of Milan, in October 2021, she ran for the administrative elections of Milan, having been elected thanks to a participatory electoral program focused on the needs of women and young generations. She was appointed by Mayor Sala as Deputy Mayor for Decentralization, Neighborhoods and Participation, Civic Services and General Services.

Demetrio Scopelliti is a father and an architect who loves cities and believes in urban design as a tool for innovation and change. Currently, he is Director of Urban Planning and Public Space at the City of Milan’s Agency for Mobility, Environment and Territory (AMAT).

Since 2016, he has been Advisor to the Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning, coordinating projects and programs, such as the Milano 2030 City Plan, the Railway Yards Masterplan, the C40’s Reinventing Cities competition, the Strade Aperte and Piazze Aperte tactical urbanism programs with Bloomberg Associates and GDCI.

At the beginning of his career, Demetrio worked for five years as an Urban Designer at Arup. He is the co-author of the report Cities Alive, Towards a Walking World.

Barbara joined Transport & Environment to start the Clean Cities Campaign in 2020, with the aim of hastening the phase out of the internal combustion engine, whilst championing active, shared and electric mobility for a more liveable urban future.

Before this she worked at Greenpeace for 12 years where most recently she was the Program Director of Greenpeace Belgium, and where she led various international projects, including the organisation’s cities-focused international transport and air quality work. Barbara is also a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Westminster in London, and she runs her own sustainability consultancy firm.

She holds a Masters’ degree in Public Relations and Mass Communications and a BSc in Economics with an International Relations focus. She is an internationally-accredited ACC Coach with the International Coaching Federation and a Certified Sustainability (ESG) Practitioner. Barbara speaks English, Hungarian and French as well as some Spanish.

Alice co-founded the ‘Playing Out’ movement in 2009. With her neighbour Amy Rose, she developed the parent-led “temporary play street” model, which has spread across the UK and beyond. Through Playing Out’s work over 15 years, 1,600 street communities have self-organised play streets, enabling 50,000 children to play out together on their doorstep and acting as a catalyst for wider change. 100 local authorities now have a policy allowing communities to open their streets for play on a regular basis. With co-founder Ingrid Skeels, Alice continues to lead Playing Out, campaigning for policy-change and culture-change toward their long-term vision: restoring all children’s everyday freedom to play out near home.

Justine is currently part of the mobility team at Eurocities, the leading network of cities representing more than 200 major European cities. She is working on REALLOCATE, a project under the CIVITAS Initiative, which seeks to redesign streets into inclusive, sustainable, safe, and resilient urban spaces where communities can flourish.

She is also contributing to FORTHCOMING, a project supported by the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership, which explores how the 15-minute city model can be adapted to suburban areas. Prior joining Eurocities, Justine worked as a research associate in Sociology and Urban Studies at the University of Glasgow. She holds a PhD in Sociology and Education from the University of Glasgow, as well as degrees in Political Science and International Relations from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.