The Brussels Urban Summit 2023 is set to gather representatives from six hundred cities over the coming days. With the participation of over 2,000 politicians, academics, and urban civil

society representatives, the event aims to deliberate on the future of Europe's cities.

During the summit, attendees will convene for three international conferences, namely the triennial Metropolis World Congress, the annual Eurocities conference, and the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth conference. These gatherings seek to shape the vision of European cities and seek solutions to urban challenges.

Notably, this is the first time that the three largest international networks of cities have united to discuss critical social and urban issues. The choice of Brussels as the host city is significant, given its status as a diverse metropolis and a hub of urban innovation, making it an ideal location for this international urban conference, according to Pascal Smet, Secretary of State for European and International Relations of the Brussels-Capital Region, representing One.brussels-forward.

Prominent participants include Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, Mansur Yavaş, the mayor of Ankara, Kostas Bakoyanni, the mayor of Athens, and Barthélémy Toye Dia, the mayor of Dakar.

The Brussels Urban Summit is an initiative led by the Brussels-Capital Region, Eurocities, Metropolis, and the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth. The City of Brussels, the European Commission, the International Parliament of Mayors, and numerous other partners are supporting the organization of this significant event, which promises to shape the future of Europe's urban areas. Photo by Ank Kumar, Wikimedia commons.