[DUBLIN SATELLITE] Shaping a Collective Focus: Workshop with launch of Urbanism Awards finalists
Join the AoU community in Dublin to be part of the discussion and launch this year's finalists
Date: Wednesday 29 April 2026
Time: 18:00 for 18:15 start
Location: Civic, 36 Lad Lane, Baggot Street, Lower Dublin 2, D02 T208
Join the AoU community in Dublin* this spring to determine a topical question for the 2026 Urbanism Awards assessments, before this year's finalists are announced.
Come and be part of an evening dive into case studies from 20 years of the Urbanism Awards where a workshop discussion will explore the most relevant topical question to add to this year’s assessments. The event will combine livestreamed presentations and in-person table discussions to inspire and agree a focal question for this year’s streets + spaces, neighbourhood, town, and European city finalists.
Attendees will be seated in groups at tables, with places assigned randomly on arrival. A live feed from London will introduce the session and present some Urbanism Awards case studies before launching a discussion in the room in Dublin on what is important to the AoU community today.
Following the group discussion and feedback, this year’s finalists will be announced before drinks and a chance to continue the conversation and catch up with other attendees.
*This is a satellite event, combining a livestreamed talk from London with in-person discussions in hubs in Dublin and Edinburgh
Programme outline
18:00 Arrival + registration
18:15 Welcome
18:30 Introduction to the Urbanism Awards, featuring case studies for each criteria
18:45 Table discussion
19:15 Feedback and discussion
19:45 Approval of focal question
19:50 Announcement of 2026 Urbanism Awards finalists
20:00 Drinks and informal networking
Facilitator
Sophia de Sousa
As Chief Executive at The Glass-House Community Led Design since 2005, Sophia is an impassioned champion of design quality and place equity. She advocates and enables collaborative design processes and has extensive experience in designing and delivering strategic support, training and practical resources for community groups and professionals alike.
Sophia is also Visiting Fellow at The Open University, as well as an AoU Academician and RSA Fellow. She has a background in architecture and urbanism, education, community empowerment and multi-cultural issues, having lived and worked in the UK, US and Italy. She is passionate about cross-sector and interdisciplinary working and about finding opportunity in complexity and diversity.
Presenter
Connie Dales
Connie has led the Urbanism Awards since 2022, when the programme returned post-covid. In that time she has worked with representatives of more than 45 finalists and visited sites in 14 cities and towns across 6 countries. Her work on the awards spans all stages, from chairing shortlisting to organising the Awards Ceremony.
More broadly at the AoU she manages comms + programming and works closely on developing and sustaining the organisation’s international outreach, such as Congress, most recently held in Utrecht, and embassy partnerships.
Connie’s presentation will introduce the Urbanism Awards and explore the seven criteria using diverse case studies from recent finalists.
The Dublin satellite of this event is kindly hosted and refreshments provided by our friends at Civic.
Tickets for this event include drinks and nibbles and are non-refundable.
