Meet the leaders transforming our cities

Gil is a prolific and globally recognized voice reconceptualizing cities as places designed to support the health and wellbeing of people. During the city’s cycling revolution in the mid-90s, he was commissioner of parks in Bogota, and most recently he was runner-up in the 2022 Toronto mayoral election. He is the founder and chair of the board of the Canadian non-profit 8 80 Cities, is an academic chair at the Norman Foster Institute for Sustainable Cities, and an Expert Advisor to the International Society for Urban Health. He has worked for governments in over 350 cities.

Parent and practitioner, Ankita is the Director of Climate at Capita, a US-based think tank, leading work to frame the interrelationship between early childhood flourishing and climate adaptation for government policymakers. Ankita has worked for a decade on the leading edge of urban design that addresses the needs of children and caregivers, with the Global Designing Cities Initiatives’ Streets for Kids program, and later as the Knowledge for Policy Director at the Van Leer Foundation.

Jan Gehl is an architect, professor, and consultant on urban design, who has focused his career on improving the quality of urban life by reorienting the city’s design towards people. His influential thinking has been published in his classic books Life Between Buildings” and “Cities for People,” translated into over 40 languages. He has been awarded the ”Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize for exemplary contributions to Town Planning”, the key to the City of Sydney, and honorary doctor degrees in Edinburgh, Toronto, Varna, and Halifax. He is a honorary fellow of the architectural institutes in Denmark, the UK (RIBA), the USA, Canada, Scotland, and Ireland as well as the planning institutes in Australia and Ireland.

Anna is the co-founder of Polish Smog Alert, a social movement leading 50 grassroots groups working to raise public awareness and demand government action for clean air in Europe’s most polluted country. For children and adolescents, air pollution causes low birth weight, asthma, reduced lung function, respiratory infections, and allergies. Policy changes that they have influenced include a country-wide support program for the replacement of solid fuel boilers worth 25 billion euros, and the installation of Poland’s first low-emission zone in Krakow.

Amanda M. Burden is a Principal at the consultancy service Bloomberg Associates. Serving as the New York City Planning Commissioner from 2002 to 2013, she spearheaded the largest planning effort in the city since 1961, initiating comprehensive rezoning plans for 124 and catalyzing significant new housing opportunities in diverse communities throughout New York City’s five boroughs.  A champion of design excellence, Burden emphasized community consensus-building in helping to improve the City’s built environment, reclaim the waterfront, and create dynamic public spaces including the East River Esplanade and the High Line.

Before her city appointment, Burden assisted in the launch and administration of the Midtown Community Court in Times Square. From 1983 to 1990, she served as Vice President for Planning and Design at the Battery Park City Authority, developing design guidelines for all buildings on the 92-acre site and supervising the design of the Esplanade and the 30 acres of parkland incorporated in the project.

Ms. Burden holds a Master of Science degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College, an Honorary Doctorate in Public Administration from Pratt University as well an Honorary Doctor of Law from Columbia University.

In 2005, Ms. Burden received the Center for Architecture Award; in 2009, she received the JC Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development; in 2011 she received the American Architectural Foundation Keystone Award. She was elected to serve on the Council for Foreign Relations in 2014.

Erion Veliaj was re-elected for his third term as Mayor of Tirana in May 2023. Before his tenure, Veliaj served as a Member of the Parliament of Albania and Minister of Social Welfare and Youth from 2013 through 2015. Before joining the ranks of the Socialist Party of Albania in 2011, Veliaj had a long experience as the leader and founder of the youth movement “MJAFT”, a civic organization that gained huge popularity for inspiring peaceful protest since its creation in 2003. Veliaj has also worked with several international humanitarian organizations in the Americas, Eastern Africa, and Kosovo. Veliaj holds a Master’s degree in European Integration from the University of Sussex and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Grand Valley State University.

Xoli is a Founder of Black Girls Rising and an Environmentalist who has led groups for over a decade, always guarding and guiding the younger ones. She spent more than 15 years successfully educating intergenerational groups about environmental issues, developing school programs that inspire learners to make thoughtful choices, and helping older youth discover their power. Today, as a Director of Black Girls Rising, a Black-led youth-focused organization that aims to raise holistic, well-informed, embodied girl leaders to be at the forefront of climate action, focusing on building Emotional well-being and trauma-informed Afrocentric awareness around climate advocacy. Xoli is also a Board Member of the African Climate Alliance and Zero Waste Association of South Africa. She is inspired to grow a future defined by environmental and social justice.

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.

Believing that play environments can, and should, be better (and riskier), Meghan researches how the design of play environments impacts the physical health and social behaviour of children and caregivers. To date, she has collected data on over 60,000 people in 100 play environments around the world. The Philadelphia-based landscape architect designed over 30 play environments across the US and provided play design, safety, and risk guidance for over 40 play installations and children’s museums around the world.

Sam Bloch has worked as a journalist for more than a decade, focusing on climate adaptation in cities as well as on the business, environmental, and cultural aspects of the food industry. In 2019, he wrote an article about shade as an important civic resource and a requirement for health in public spaces, which sparked a conversation that continues to this day. 

He wrote for Slate, The New York Times, Places Journal, CityLab, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Art in America, and L.A. Weekly, among other publications, and was a staff writer at The Counter. He is currently working on a nonfiction book about shade and climate inequality to be published by Random House. Sam is a graduate of the Columbia Journalism School and a former Emerson Collective Fellow and MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellow.

Laís Fleury has 20 years of experience as a social entrepreneur. She co-founded the NGO Associação Vaga Lume, dedicated to delivering libraries to rural communities in Amazonia and training teachers to be “Reading Mediators,” to support the literacy of children and expand their opportunities for personal development.

Laís serves as the Head of Partnerships at the Alana Foundation, advocating for the right of every child to connect and have access to nature. She is credited as the signatory of the argument for the film “The Beginning of Life 2: Outside”, holds the position of Co-chair US for the global movement #Natureforall, is part of the executive council of ISGA and the Expert Advisory Panel of the Earthshot Prize.

Dr. Sudeshna Chatterjee is a globally recognized urban practitioner, researcher, evaluator, educator, and published author. She advocates for children and youth to be included in urban planning and focuses on enabling inclusive, resilient, and child-friendly cities.

Sudeshna founded a research-based practice Action for Children’s Environments focusing on how environment, development, and urbanization relate to children and young people and action research to improve their living, learning, and play environments. Dr. Chatterjee co-led the first evaluation of UNICEF Work for Children in Urban Settings and a compendium of 50 case studies acting on behalf of UNICEF, WHO, and UN-Habitat. Currently, she serves as a Program Director at the WRI-India Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities.

Founder and CEO of Rozmanita, an NGO focused on helping schools in Slovakia to work with children and their communities. Rozmanita aims to increase inclusion in one of the most segregated and poorly performing education systems in the OECD, thus increasing societal coherence and innovation. Previously, Anna co-founded Teach for Slovakia, a member of the Teach for All network. She has taught children from disadvantaged backgrounds in London and Nepal, studied international education systems at the University of Oxford, worked as an analyst for UNESCO and as a leader on various education-related projects in India, Thailand and Columbia. She lives in Bratislava with her wife and three children.

Atsani is an international development leader, supporting the philanthropic industry in the area of global children and youth health. Recently, he became director of child and youth health for the FIA Foundation in London, an independent charity supporting activities promoting road safety, the environment and sustainable mobility, as well as funding motor-sport safety research. Previously, he managed Fondation Botnar’s child road-safety challenge, spanning 13 cities, and was also the lead for VicRoads International, the road authority for the State Government of Victoria in Australia, responsible for winning and implementing international projects. He holds a Master of Commerce from Melbourne University and a double degree in International Trade and Management.

Dr Beverley Barnett-Jones has held a variety of managerial as well as frontline practice roles during her 30 years’ experience in children’s social care. Beverley is the associate director for the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, which produces data to improve outcomes for children and families going through the family courts. Beverley is also an advisor to the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and has recently been appointed as a trustee for the charity Kinship, supporting kinship carers who are caring for their friend or family member’s children when the parents can’t. She has very recently been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Essex in recognition of her work in child protection, family justice, and in setting up and promoting the Family Drug & Alcohol Court in the UK.

Bronwen is a leading global authority on walking and pedestrian-friendly communities, giving the topic of ‘walking’ a voice on the international stage. She has extensive experience in strategic transport planning, community and political engagement, on-street analysis, and policy and project delivery with a focus on equitable and sustainable transport. As CEO of Walk21 she ensures walking is part of the solution for climate change strategies, road safety and public health. She particularly enjoys working in creative partnerships where she can inspire policymakers and practitioners on the value of walking and build momentum for investment by national governments and multilateral agencies. Bronwen is also chair of the Africa Network for Walking and Cycling.

Dinah Bornat is an architect, urban designer, researcher, engagement specialist and co-director of ZCD Architects. As a leading expert on child-friendly cities, she has been involved in developing policy and guidance, designing best practices and promoting youth engagement. Her work has had a significant impact locally, in London, the UK and internationally. Dinah is a former Mayor’s Design Advocate for the Mayor of London. She has co-authored several books and reports that support architects, planners and developers in designing for and engaging with children and young people. She was recently invited to present to Prince William on the importance of children’s access to green spaces, and has been commissioned by the Royal Institute of British Architects to write a book about child-friendly housing in the UK.

Since starting Capita, an independent think tank, in 2018, Joe has developed initiatives that explore how cultural, global and social transformations affect children and communities. From the impacts of climate change to parental loneliness, social disconnection and economic insecurity, Capita’s work catalyses the creation of new solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges impacting families. Joe also serves as a senior advisor at the consulting firm Openfields and is a board member of Book Harvest and the Felician Center in South Carolina. Previously, he was the executive vice president of the Institute for Child Success, leading pioneering work in helping governments pay early childhood service providers for outcomes. He has also spoken about the social impact of finance at the White House and many other forums and conferences.

As founder and board member, Kamila has spent the last four years actively shaping and driving forward the social movement Rodzice dla Klimatu (Parents For the Future Poland). She has organised numerous impactful campaigns and engaged stakeholders from diverse social, political and professional circles to advocate for children’s health, clean air, safe transport, sustainable mobility, and climate, media and health education. A mother of three sons, an ecofeminist and a passionate social anthropologist by nature, Kamila holds degrees in African Studies, International Relations, Film Directing, and has also graduated from the Political Leadership School.

Mayor of Bratislava, co-founder of Vallo Sadovsky Architects and member of the music group Para. His goal is to make Bratislava a strong and resilient, green and transparent city fighting corruption, with quality public spaces, accessible public transport and help for disadvantaged groups. He stands behind Team Bratislava, a platform for people to actively engage in public affairs, particularly on a local level. For his efforts to transform Bratislava into a greener city with quality public space, he was awarded a World Mayor Future Award. He is the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship at Columbia University in New York as well as a place in the Bloomberg Philanthropies and Harvard University Leadership Initiative, which is exclusively offered to just 40 mayors across the world. He lives in Bratislava with his wife Linda and son Jonatán.

Maya is a communications and advocacy specialist with 20 years of experience in campaigning, strategy, policy, and coalition building for social and climate justice. She is focused on advancing high-impact, inclusive, influencing strategies in the global climate movement. Maya is the co-director of Our Kids’ Climate, a global network that catalyses and supports parent-led and intergenerational climate organising in some 55 countries. She is also the co-founder of the UK-based initiative Mothers Rise Up, which runs some of the most creative fossil fuel finance campaigns. Previously, Maya was the head of humanitarian policy and campaigns at Oxfam GB, where she led teams of campaigners and policy experts in working to shine a spotlight on and protect civilians in humanitarian crises.

Dr Nikhil Chaudhary is an assistant professor of evolutionary anthropology at the University of Cambridge. He has completed a Ph.D. and postdoctoral research in which he examined the behavioural and cultural adaptations of hunter-gatherer societies in Africa and Asia, and he has been working with the BaYaka community from Congo over the last decade. His current research aims to better understand our vulnerability to mental health problems from an evolutionary perspective. He is particularly focused on exploring how collaborative childrearing practices in hunter-gatherer and industrialised societies impacts the psychological wellbeing of mothers and children. Dr Chaudhary is an executive committee member of the Evolutionary Psychiatry working group at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK.

Skye Duncan is a pioneering figure in global urban design. With 20+ years of experience, she is a major proponent of transforming “Streets for Kids”. Her team developed the award-winning Global Street Design Guide, shaping safe, inclusive streets worldwide. Skye’s mantra, “Change streets, change the world,” embodies her commitment to scaling tactical urbanism projects globally. Her accolades include being named one of TUMI’s Remarkable Women in Transportation.

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. She’s known for leading a placemaking practice in London and campaigning to unlock London’s small sites. An advocate for greener cities and active commuting, Petra has contributed to VeloCity and Meanwhile City. After two decades abroad, she returned to Bratislava to effect positive change.

Dagur B. Eggertsson, Reykjavik’s longest-serving mayor, has an impressive record of service, including a decade-long stint as mayor from 2014-2024. His contributions have extended to the international community, with a focus on inclusive growth. His efforts have honed in on public health initiatives and youth wellbeing. A physician by training, Dagur also holds a master’s degree in Human Rights and International Law from Lund University, Sweden. He has served as chairman of the OECD Champion mayor. He is married to Arna Dögg Einarsdóttir, a fellow medical professional, and they are parents to four children.

A renowned policymaker and consultant, has spent over two decades in social development policies and programs. Cecilia notably served as Ecuador’s Coordinating Minister of Social Development introducing policies benefiting children, youth, women, and indigenous communities. Currently, Cecilia is the Senior Advisor to the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, leading cutting-edge research on play and care service design in the Middle East. With her extensive expertise and dedication, she continues to positively impact social development globally.

An experienced urban leader, Maria Vassilakou is dedicated to creating open, inclusive and green cities. Serving as Vienna’s Vice Mayor from 2010 to 2019, she led urban planning, traffic & transport, climate protection, energy, and public participation. Her work contributed to Vienna’s top ranking in international livability. Now, as an independent advisor on urban transformation, she uses her expertise to develop strategies for livable, sustainable cities. She is also a member of the EU Horizon Mission experts board on Climate-neutral Smart Cities.

Patrin is the founder of thinkfeelchange, a consultancy aiming for social change at the intersection of cities, climate, children, and equity. She has worked with the Clean Air Fund and the International Society for Urban Health, spearheading the Accelerating City Equity Starter Kit. Previously at the Bernard van Leer Foundation, she initiated their work on air pollution and contributed to the Urban95 program for thriving cities. Now based in the UK, Patrin is an active member of her local antiracism group.

Andrew is the founder and editor-in-chief of Monocle, a magazine dedicated to urbanism and creating better cities. He was beyond the creation of all Monocle editorial projects including Monocle Radio and its transition to book publishing. Andrew also presents a weekly podcast about city living, The Urbanist, and writes a weekly column for the digital Weekend Editions. He is interested in the impact of architecture on people, and therefore only begins to follow architecture when people start using it. At the Start with Children, Andrew will moderate a mayoral panel discussion with Erion Veliaj (AL), Dagur Eggertsson (IS), and Matúš Vallo (SK).

Aljosa is a program manager at the International Step by Step Association (ISSA), the early childhood regional network for Europe and Central Asia. With over 15 years of experience, his focus is on quality and equitable early childhood programs and services for children under 6 and their families. Aljosa coordinates ISSA’s Romani Early Years Network, advocating for access to quality early childhood development for Roma children. He is a vocal advocate for creating nurturing environments for all children, particularly the most disadvantaged ones.

Chris is the International Relations Manager at the Dutch Cycling Embassy, a public-private partnership that represents the best knowledge, experience, and experts from the Netherlands. As a long-time campaigner in Vancouver, he fell in love with Dutch bike culture in 2016, inspiring him to author the book “Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality”. Chris uses his knowledge and passion to share lessons for global cities wishing to follow in their footsteps and become better places to live, work, and of course cycle. His latest book is “Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in our Lives”.

Jan is a specialist in communications, public affairs and community engagement. He currently serves as Global Public Affairs Leader in the Ingka Centres, part of the Ingka Group which also includes IKEA Retail and Ingka Investments. Jan led the engagement of the Ingka Group in the international advocacy movement aiming at the ratification of the International Day of Play. In his capacity, he is also supporting the company in transforming its business for the future and creating unique, hyper-local mixed-use ‘meeting places’ co-created with local communities with the aim of creating positive social impact.

Louise is the founder and Executive Director of the Child and Youth Friendly Governance Project (CYFGP), an international organization dedicated to empowering children and young people in decision-making. The CYFGP envisions a world where children and young people have a voice, enabling them to realize their rights and engage in civic life. Louise previously revitalized UNICEF’s Child-Friendly Cities Initiative, promoting child and youth-friendly urban environments. Her leadership resulted in transformative initiatives like the Child-Friendly Cities Handbook and the Child-Friendly Cities Inspire Awards. Louise’s dedication to empowering youth and fostering inclusive decision-making has made a lasting impact on initiatives worldwide.

Maria is an architect, urban designer, and advocate for children’s rights in cities. With a decade of experience, she specializes in engagement and participatory planning projects dedicated to fostering just and sustainable cities. Her expertise extends from national and European to global initiatives, including collaborations with organizations such as the EU Commission, the World Bank, and philanthropies such as the Rockefeller Foundation (100 Resilient Cities). Maria led the Urban Innovative Actions – OASIS Schoolyards project in Paris and founded “Design Clips” to reimagine urban landscapes through children’s perspectives, focusing on addressing climate challenges in the European South.

Nora leads efforts to create child-friendly neighbourhood policies, identifying key characteristics for child well-being and integrating children’s perspectives into policy practices. She works as a policy analyst in the OECD Child Well-being Unit, which provides policy advice to ensure children have a bright future. The unit also develops tools like the Child Well-Being Dashboard and Data Portal, offering over 200 cross-national indicators to monitor and improve child well-being.

Petra serves as the city’s pedestrian representative and assistant manager at Mobility Agency Vienna. She initiated a successful citizens’ initiative in 2006, addressing dog faeces in public spaces, resulting in cleaner streets. She later worked for Austria’s charity “Diakonie” before becoming Vienna’s walking representative in 2013. Her achievements include organizing the “Year of Walking” campaign and implementing various pedestrian-focused projects, such as mobility management for children and families, and the establishment of Vienna’s biggest public event on mobility and public space, the “Streetlife Festival”.

Sandra Rishani, an architect, utilizes mapping and speculative tools to engage diverse communities and address spatial inequalities. Her work spans various sectors, prioritizing context and research to improve human experiences. As a Senior Architect and Researcher, she supports vulnerable populations impacted by displacement and poverty through small-scale architecture and pilot projects. Sandra’s portfolio includes building design, trauma-informed play, writing, strategy development, and engagement for action. Through her expertise, Sandra shapes inclusive and equitable spaces. She recently joined Gehl, bringing her experience from the MENA region.

Sophia is a Director at Gehl, an urban design practice on a mission to create more equitable, healthy, and sustainable cities. Sophia leads Gehl’s philanthropic client portfolio delivering urban strategy projects and investment efforts globally. In this role, she guides changemakers in cities, organizations, neighbourhoods and communities to implement projects that improve health outcomes often working with placemaking, child-friendly city planning, food systems, and urban inclusion. Sophia’s commitment to enhancing the quality of urban spaces stems from her background as an anthropologist and her deep understanding of the human experience within the built environment. Her expertise ensures that urban transformation processes result in lasting social and health impacts.

Thomas is the Global lead for urban in UNICEF.  He has over 36 years of experience in international development, with 31 years in UNICEF in different countries. He has a Master in Sociology and advanced training in Communications. He started his career with the Indian Civil Services and is a national of India.

Maud is a visionary entrepreneur driven by her passion for creating a better future. Co-founding BYCS in 2015 (previously CycleSpace), she embarked on a mission to revolutionise urban commuting through cycling. Prior to this, Maud spearheaded the initiative Bike to Work, aimed at fostering a cycling culture among businesses and commuters. Her academic background in Integrated Communications laid the foundation for her ongoing wide range of cycling-focused projects. With an infectious enthusiasm for making a difference, Maud believes in the power of optimism and champions the idea that positive change is truly achievable through creative collaboration. 

Adam is a trained architect. In 2008, he voluntarily decided not to devote himself to designing houses, but above all help other people take architecture and public space seriously. Since then, he has been making videos, radio shows, lectures (most often at the CAMP architecture cenrer in Prague, which he helped to found), teaching, moderating, discussing, consulting, taking photos, organizing exhibitions, and on the platform herohero.co/adamgebrian creating maps of contemporary architecture. Also writes books that reflect his stay abroad with his wife Markéta and son Filip. Three Months in Barcelona, Two Months in Lisbon, SevenMonths in Raleigh, New York, and Chicago have been published and Summer in Tenerife should join them this autumn.

Aleksandra began her career as an assistant to Gdańsk Mayor Paweł Adamowicz and contributed to the city’s preparations for UEFA EURO 2012 and the development of the European Solidarity Center. In March 2017, she became deputy mayor for economic policy. Following the assassination of Mayor Adamowicz in January 2019, Dulkiewicz became the acting mayor and was officially elected in March 2019, becoming Gdańsk’s first female mayor. She also serves as vicepresident of the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area board, is on the board of the Union of Polish Metropolises, and represents Poland in the European Committee of the Regions. In April 2024, she was re-elected as mayor.

Carolina Cominotti, a Strategic Advisor at EIT Urban Mobility, is an architect-urbanist with over a decade of working experience split between Europe and Latin America. As part of this, she has worked for both Paris and São Paulo city halls, designing policies to reshape streets and public spaces to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists. She specializes in public policy, urban planning, and sustainable mobility, with a focus on citizen engagement, active mobility, and road safety initiatives.

David is the owner and creative director of mmcité, and the creator of a range of award-winning pieces of street furniture. „For me, design is about searching for a compromise between form and function. In free art, you express your thoughts as forms. Design as applied art wishes to express itself the same way, but it must be functional at the same time. Public spaces in a city are fascinating places where people and history meet. I am proud that we focus mmcité design right here. We can influence everybody’s taste, and we love that. No exclusivity, genuine accessibility. For mmcité, this is nothing short of a cultural mission. We highly value our cities, so we are always pushing to make them more beautiful.“

Julienne is the Head of City Partnerships at EIT Urban Mobility, a European knowledge and innovation community to accelerate the transition towards sustainable urban mobility and livable urban spaces. Julienne has a specific focus on working with city and public entities that are at the forefront of co-developing and testing new mobility solutions and putting them into practice. She is also a strong proponent of citizen and end-user engagement and has led several initiatives to integrate diverse perspectives into mobility projects – with the aim to facilitating more inclusive solutions that are responsive to local needs and contexts. Julienne’s prior experience spans local and national governments, as well as private, non-profit, start-up, and academic spheres in the US, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

Steven and William Ladd are New York-based brothers and artists who are known for vibrant, highly textural artwork that evokes childhood memories, working at the intersection of design, applied, and fine art. They started collaborating in 2000, quickly gaining recognition when their designs were exhibited at the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Their themes often explore memories and locations from their shared childhood. In 2006, they introduced Scrollathon®, a community engagement program that encourages diverse groups to collaborate and share stories, hopes, and dreams through art, showcasing their signature use of found materials.

Lucia is one of the founding members of Znepokojené matky (Concerned Mothers) – a climate movement organization in Slovakia focusing on ambitious climate protection on national as well as local levels. As a professional, she is working for Slovak Climate Coalition, the platform of climate organizations dealing with policies and strategies. She is one of the coordinators of the Coalition focusing on advocacy, networking, communication, and strategic approach to campaigning. She started as an activist and volunteer as a young woman and spent a long time working for Greenpeace Slovakia participating in various successful campaigns. She is a mother of three girls, believing that a just and safe future is possible with cooperation and an understanding of people’s needs.

Martin is the community manager of the civic association Bystriny which focuses on connecting and supporting worthwhile projects and active people in their communities. Martin leads the Active Community project, which aims to support the sustainability of cultural and creative centres in eight cities in Slovakia. He has previously worked in the private and university sectors and has also worked abroad on educational projects in India. He lives in Bratislava with his wife Zuzana and two daughters.

Matt leads the global Communication & Marketing function for Ingka Centres which own and operate 34 meeting places in 13 markets, serving more than 350 million visitors per year and creating positive social impact in their local communities. He is also Ingka Centres’ global Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Sponsor. Matt has nearly 20 years of experience leading communication and marketing teams for publicly listed, private, not-for-profit, and governmental organisations.

Peter is a former President of the leading Slovakian sustainable mobility advocacy group Cyklokoalícia, working for the City of Bratislava to provide more options for people to choose from to move around the city.

Sandra is an urban planner, working at the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava, a leading urban planning institute in Slovakia. 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.

Selva graduated from the Southern California Institute of Architecture and worked for the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam and New York. Together with Gregers Tang Thomsen, she co-founded Superpool. She also co-directed Studio-X Istanbul, an urban laboratory of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. Selva has taught at the Architecture Association School of Architecture in London. She has been actively leading and advising on various public initiatives for children and caregivers within the Urban95 framework of the Van Leer Foundation, collaborating with city administrations in Türkiye, Jordan, and Ethiopia. Currently, Selva lives between Copenhagen and Istanbul, and beyond her involvement with Superpool, she supports the development of Open Urban Practice, a platform for collaboration for better public programs, spaces, and buildings.

Shekufeh leads technical initiatives at ECDAN, focusing on knowledge, learning, and partnerships. With extensive experience in global Early Childhood Development across education, child protection, and health, she has tackled challenges for young children in Latin America, East Africa, and South Asia. In Bangladesh, she designed innovative ECD models for diverse settings like urban slums. In Afghanistan, she enhanced national pre-primary policies with the Aga Khan Foundation. She consults on strategy, policy, and curriculum design for organizations like BRAC and Save the Children. Additionally, she collaborates with architects on child-focused urban designs.

Victoria is the Urban95 Expert in the Foundation’s Support & Learning team, advising on urban planning and strategies with a focus on sustainable mobility, public spaces, and social justice through an early-year perspective. She enhances the design and implementation of grants and scaling strategies aligned with the Foundation’s goals, managing projects like Urban95 Academy with the London School of Economics and Data Framework Journeys with Gehl Architects. Previously, she co-founded Huasipichanga, a participatory urban development organization in Latin America, Europe, and Africa, promoting sustainable and child-friendly city concepts. Passionate about creating better cities through citizen engagement and participatory planning, Victoria emphasizes the importance of citizen-centric approaches enabled by research and technology to achieve broad societal goals.

Benila has served as the Vice Mayor of Korca Municipality in Albania since December 2013, bringing with her a wealth of experience spanning 16 years in local government. Within her capacity, she oversees various critical departments including social services, child-care, education, and public relations, ensuring their effective operation and coordination. One of her notable achievements is her leadership in spearheading the establishment of a working group within Korca Municipality, collaborating closely with UNICEF Albania to develop an action plan aimed at transforming Korca into Albania’s first child-friendly city. She has been instrumental in managing and monitoring initiatives such as the “Children’s Town” (Qyteza e Femijeve), an innovative entertainment and educational center—the first of its kind in Albania.

Rafał is the Mayor of Warsaw elected for his first term in October 2018 and reelected in April 2024. Prior to his mayoral role, he served as a Member of the 8th term of the Polish Parliament, Vice-Chairman of the EU Committee, and Vice-Chair of the European People’s Party. He was also the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for EU Affairs and the Prime Minister’s European Council Plenipotentiary under PM Ewa Kopacz. He played a significant role in EU negotiations on sanctions against Russia and energy security. Additionally, he was the Minister of Administration and Digitization in PM Tusk’s government, focusing on digitization and cybersecurity.