The Vision
We believe that architecture and urban design are acts of imagination and responsibility. The futures we build matter. They can amplify community voice or erase it. They can perpetuate inequality or enable justice. They can extract or regenerate.
This forum is built on five founding commitments:
- Technology should serve humanity, not replace it.
- Smart cities are cities where every person is heard and every neighborhood thrives.
- AI is a tool for creative expression and cultural memory—not surveillance or control.
- Architecture and urban design are acts of justice. They can amplify community voice or erase it.
- Innovation happens at the intersection of design, ethics, tradition, and daring experimentation.
Why Now?
Cities are at an inflection point. The tools we use to design and manage urban space—particularly artificial intelligence—are advancing faster than our ability to ask ethical, creative, and humane questions about their use. Meanwhile, inequality deepens, climate urgency intensifies, and young people are demanding a different kind of city.
The future of cities is being decided now. This is our moment to be intentional, creative, and inclusive.
When
3-4 days of intensive workshops, presentations, panel discussions, site visits, and collaborative projects designed for active participation and peer-to-peer learning. The entire event will be covered across all social media platforms.
Where
Rabat, Morocco
Venue to be released after mid-October
Morocco's position at the intersection of African, Arab, and Mediterranean cultures makes it ideal for a global forum on sustainable urbanism. Participants will have opportunities to tour innovative urban projects in Casablanca, Marrakech, and surrounding regions.
Who Should Participate?
Architects & Designers
Share experimental work and visions with peers and emerging practitioners.
Students
Engage with leading thinkers. Challenge conventional thinking. Discover the architect or designer you want to become.
University Groups & Researchers
Lead international workshops. Present and publish research. Build collaborative networks.
Academics & Researchers
Bring interdisciplinary perspectives. Collaborate across silos. Publish in proceedings and peer-reviewed journals.
Technologists & Smart Cities Experts
Help design communities ask better questions. Make smart cities more humane.
Community Organizers & Decision-Makers
Your voices are essential. Ensure cities work for everyone.
How to Participate
Option 1: Lead a Thematic Workshop
University departments and research groups propose and facilitate workshops. Workshops must engage participants from two to three or more other universities or countries and include practitioners, academics, and decision-makers.
Your workshop will:
- Align with one of the six workshop themes.
- Combine presentations, discussion, and hands-on collaborative work (3-6 hours).
- Be documented for publication in the forum proceedings.
Option 2: Submit Graduation Projects for Exhibition
Community-based projects solving real urban problems aligned with workshop themes. Projects will be displayed onsite on standard exhibition boards (size TBC).
This is a unique opportunity to showcase student work in an international forum and connect with practitioners, academics, and collaborators.
Option 3: Present Research
Submit research abstracts of (300–500 words). Optional journal publication with author fee guidance.
Option 4: General Participation
Attend workshops, engage in discussions, participate in panel dialogues.
Registration
Early Bird Registration
Register early and enjoy special early-bird rates while building your network.
Regular Registration
Standard registration rates apply. Space is limited, so register early.
What to Bring & What We Provide
We Provide
- Workshop materials including flip charts, pens, pencils, notepads, and other supplies for hands-on collaboration
- Refreshments and meals during the forum.
- Access to all workshop spaces, lecture halls, and collaboration areas.
Please Bring
- Your own laptop (essential for workshops and collaborative work)
- Any presentation materials or portfolios you wish to share.
A Forum for Connection
SHFC 2026 is fundamentally about building community and seeding collaboration. Beyond workshops and presentations, this is a rare opportunity to:
- Connect with researchers, practitioners, and innovators from universities and institutions across the globe
- Exchange ideas across disciplines, geographies, and perspectives.
- Explore opportunities for academic collaboration—joint research, student exchanges, shared publications
- Discover professional partnerships and practice-based collaborations
- Build long-term research networks that extend well beyond December.
The entire event will be documented and shared across social media, giving your work and ideas global visibility.
What We’re Exploring: Six Interconnected Themes
1. Ethical & Creative AI in Design & the Arts
How do we use AI responsibly? Generative design, algorithmic creativity, and human judgment in the age of automation.
2. Tactical Urbanism & Simple Urban Interventions
Small acts, big impact. Temporary installations, community-led projects, and low-cost urban tactics.
3. Public & Community Participation
Co-designing cities with residents. Including marginalized voices in shaping urban futures.
4. Adaptive Reuse of Historic Buildings in the AI Era
Heritage meets innovation. Preserving cultural memory while building resilience.
5. Smart Cities for Better Lives
Beyond sensors and data. Smart cities that prioritize health, equity, accessibility, and joy.
6. Smart Buildings in the Era of AI
Energy-efficient, adaptive, humane buildings. Spaces that respond to human need.
Forum Components & Activities
Thematic Workshops
Intensive, participatory sessions combining presentations, hands-on projects, and critical dialogue.
Panel Discussions
Moderated conversations with architects, planners, technologists, ethicists, organizers, and policymakers.
Graduation Projects Exhibition
Onsite showcase of community-based design solutions on standard exhibition boards. A platform for student work to reach an international audience.
Research Presentations
Academics and researchers present work addressing critical questions about AI, design, urbanism, justice, and sustainability.
What You Get
- Forum Proceedings documenting all workshops and projects.
- Online Exhibition of Graduation Projects with global reach.
- Curated Research Papers in peer-reviewed journals (optional, author fees apply).
- Design Manifesto articulating shared principles for ethical, equitable urban futures.
- Research Network connecting participants for ongoing academic and professional collaboration.
- Digital Archive of all workshops, presentations, and collaborative work.
- Official Certificates issued jointly by LivCom Awards, UNESCO Bridge Program, and Mohamed VI University.
- Global visibility through social media coverage of the entire forum.
Learn More & Submit
Submit all proposals, projects, research abstracts, and registrations by:
November 15, 2026
Questions?
info@livcomawards.org
The future of cities is being decided now.
Join us in Morocco this December.
You’re welcome to download the online Registration Form and send in return the completed version to LivCom Secretariat via info@livcomawards.org. If you haven't received an acknowledgement from the LivCom Awards within three days, please do not hesitate to get back in contact with us.