Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies

IHS Alumni Impact Award 2026 - Workshop & Award ceremony

Moving the needle: from community participation to urban change
glass trophies on a dark background

The IHS Alumni Impact Award competition takes place every two years, aiming to recognise and support worldwide urban initiatives of IHS graduates. This way, IHS alumni who make an impact in their cities and communities through innovative small scale urban projects, can showcase their work and inspire other urban professionals to become change-makers. This year, the closing event and ceremony for the award take place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on the 9th of October.

Date
Friday 9 Oct 2026, 14:00 - 18:00
Type
Alumni
Spoken Language
English
Location

Erasmus Pavillion, Greenhouse

Ticket information

Free entrance with registration.

Register here Add to calendar

The award finalist initiatives respond to different challenges and contexts, but they share a common principle: urban change starts with people and communities. Whether through participatory planning, family-led environmental action or inclusive public spaces, the finalists demonstrate how involving local communities can lead to real impact. 

The closing event combines a workshop centred around the three finalist initiatives, an award ceremony, and networking drinks.

Programme

14:00 - 14:20

Welcome and Introduction

14:20-15:50

Workshop
"Moving the needle: from community participation to urban change"


When communities participate in urban development, what does actually change? How can participation lead to real impact?

Community participation is increasingly central to urban development, but it does not automatically result in change. Participation alone is not the end goal, but rather understanding how participation can lead to more agency, influence and eventually institutional or formal changes. People cannot remain only beneficiaries of urban development; they need to be knowledge producers, participants and decision-makers.

In this workshop, you can dive deeper into how small, community-centred initiatives can contribute to concrete impact in cities. You can learn from concrete case studies - the three finalist initiatives of the IHS Alumni Impact Award, you will gain more knowledge about stakeholders, participation and its forms, and learn how to approach a similar challenge of your own.

15:50-16:00

Break

16:00-18:00

Award ceremony & networking drinks


Celebrate & connect! Join us for the IHS Alumni Impact Award 2026 ceremony, where the winning alumni initiative will be announced. Continue the celebration and connect over networking drinks with the finalists and the wider IHS community.

Join the event

Come and celebrate the people turning urban knowledge into action, meet inspiring IHS alumni, discover practical examples of urban impact, exchange ideas with fellow urban professionals and help us celebrate the next chapter of the IHS Alumni Impact Award. Register here.

Read more about the case studies for the workshop

More information

About the IHS Alumni Impact Award

 

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