CONCEPT OF HOME GOES BEYOND HOUSING ALONE:

• affordable and accessible housing for young people,
• homelessness and social exclusion,
• energy security and climate-resilient housing,
• mental well-being and quality of urban life,
• talent, mobility, and future opportunities in cities,
• the use of AI and digital tools in housing policy, urban planning, and social services.

TRANSFORMATION OF CITIES

Cities are no longer only spaces to be governed; they are systems that learn. As data-rich and algorithm-driven environments, cities increasingly rely on artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and advanced modelling tools to analyse housing markets, manage energy systems, and identify social vulnerabilities. This transformation, however, raises critical questions

• Who benefits from smart/intelligent cities?
• Can AI support inclusion rather than deepen inequality?
• Can digital tools help cities care as well as optimize?

RESEARCH AND LEARNING AGENDA:

The Summer Institute 2026 will explore cities through five interconnected lenses:

• A. Housing Governance: From Markets to Rights: How do housing markets, policies, and social structures interact and where do they fail?
• B. Urban Vitality: Young Talent & the Right to the City: Can cities remain places of opportunity for the next generation?
• C. Climate Resilience: Energy Security and Green Housing: How do climate change and energy transitions reshape what “adequate housing” means?
• D. Intelligent Cities: AI and Data driven governance: How can artificial intelligence support better, fairer, and more transparent urban policies?
• E. The Caring City: Well-Being and Inclusion: How can cities measure success beyond growth, towards care and quality of life?

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Following this course, students will be able to:

• Master Resilience Concepts: apply in-depth knowledge of resilience frameworks and evidence-based strategies to real-world urban challenges;
• Design Sustainable Urban Systems: utilize acquired skills to design adaptive, data-driven, and sustainable urban systems;
• Apply Advanced Tools and Methods: live hands-on experience with advanced tools and methods to address real-world urban challenges;
• Shape Future Urban Resilience: explore collaborative opportunities to shape future urban resilience policies, supported by the X-Factor of resilience, new insights, and practical, smart, and effective solutions.

SCIENCE-BASED AND AI-SUPPORTED INSIGHTS

The Summer Institute 2026 will combine lectures by international experts, interdisciplinary teamwork, and policy-oriented discussions, aiming to develop science-based and AI-supported insights and practical tools for cities. Outcomes of the programme will contribute to European and global debates on sustainable, resilient, and intelligent urban development. By combining advanced academic input, interdisciplinary teamwork, and policy-oriented reflection, the Summer Institute 2026 aims to: generate science-based and AI-supported insights for cities, connect young researchers with real urban challenges,contribute to European and global debates on sustainable and inclusive urban development.