2026 Urban Resilience Forum: Call for Submissions

AIA Philadelphia, Green Building United, Preservation Alliance and ULI Philadelphia present the fourth annual Urban Resilience Forum to be held on Thursday, September 24, 2026. The Forum will bring together over 100 practitioners from across the real estate industry, including development, architecture, design, nonprofit, and government sectors to share and learn best practices for a more resilient and sustainable Philadelphia.

Building the Next 250

As Philadelphia looks toward the next 250 years and prepares to welcome the world in 2026, the Urban Resilience Forum asks what it means to build buildings, neighborhoods, and systems that continue to serve communities long after the celebration, under changing climate and resource conditions. 

The 2026 Urban Resilience Forum will focus on real examples of work that already incorporate resilience and adaptability, particularly at the intersection of building performance, energy systems, housing, and long-term stewardship. The Forum seeks to inform the design community by highlighting projects and studies that demonstrate how resilience can be embedded into the built environment today. 

What We Are Seeking

We invite submissions that present planning studies, research papers, built projects, or implemented policies that demonstrate how resilience and adaptability are being integrated into buildings, sites, neighborhoods, or systems to support future climate conditions. 

Submissions may represent completed work, projects under construction, or advanced planning or research efforts. Work may be presented at a variety of scales, from individual buildings and sites to districts, corridors, or systems. Submissions are not expected to address every hazard or issue, but should describe the future climate, energy, or resource conditions the work is preparing for, the specific strategies used to improve long-term resilience, and lessons that can be applied or scaled across the Philadelphia region. 

Suggested Submission Topics

Submissions should relate to one or more of the following topic areas through a specific planning effort, paper, policy, or project example. Submissions are open to national, regional, and local perspectives.

• Energy as Core Resilience Infrastructure 
• Housing Stability Under Climate Stress 
• Retrofitting and Adaptive Reuse of Existing Buildings 
• Designing for Long-Term Performance, Not Just Code 

Submission Formats

The Planning Committee will consider the following formats:

• Panel Session (up to 45-min session followed by 15-min Q&A)
• 10-15-minute topic/case study presentation (event organizers will group presentations)
• Poster boards (30×42; easels will be provided)

Submit your session proposal by May 29!

SUBMIT HERE