Code of Conduct

Urban Future conferences are Europe’s largest conference & meeting events for those who transform cities. Thanks to the focus on the people driving the transition towards sustainable cities, Urban Future has become the fastest growing and most interdisciplinary urban event series in Europe. But more importantly, it is where today’s most active and passionate CityChangers connect, exchange experiences, and shape new networks to create impact. Urban Future is not only an event; it often feels more like a family.

Urban Future is all about sharing experiences, good and bad – often of a very personal nature and sometimes even by people in the public eye. That’s why Urban Future’s top priority is to create an environment of exceptional mutual trust and respect at its events.

This occurs naturally from attendees and speakers coming together for their passion: driving change. Clearly, this is the main motivation to get involved and join the Urban Future family.

In addition to this passion, however, some basic rules guide Urban Future’s work as well as the engagement of all people attending our events.

The passion, openness, and open-mindedness of this community is intoxicating. The diversity of people at the events contribute to this atmosphere. We love diversity! It goes without saying that Urban Future is open and tolerant for all peoples, regardless of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, culture, health, ability, socioeconomic status, age, and religion.

At Urban Future’s events and in our communications, it has become customary to address fellow attendees, guests, and speakers by their first name and without their academic titles. We do so respectfully and acknowledge their achievements. While it may be considered disrespectful in some cultures, we believe it instead brings us to eye-level with each other, making meaningful conversation the core, rather than dancing around hierarchies, or formal and often invisible barriers.

Urban Future is not an organisation big on lengthy policies. We focus on common goals, shared passions, and a handful of common-sense rules, which we expect everyone to abide by:

• Refer to everyone by their preferred pronoun.
• Act in the most respectful way towards all fellow attendees, irrespective of potentially opposing opinions.
• Demonstrating behaviour not in line with Urban Future’s values or this policy may result in exclusion from our events – irrespective of the type of ticket you hold.
• Unlawful activity will be reported to the authorities in the appropriate event jurisdiction.
• Unacceptable behaviour may include, but is not limited to:
  • Racist, xenophobic, sexist, abusive, aggressive, and hostile behaviour.
  • Inappropriate language. For example: prejudicial terms, stereotypes, offensive, derogatory, degrading, belittling, and demeaning remarks; sexualised language or images; intimidating, patronising, and passive-aggressive behaviour; name-calling, deliberately misusing pronouns, and other forms of misidentification.
  • Harassment, such as continuing to contact a fellow attendee – live or via any communication channels – after they have asked you not to.
  • Purposefully and repeatedly speaking over someone.
  • Victim-blaming.
  • Touching others without consent.
• Minors have access to the event premises only when accompanied by an adult.

Unacceptable behaviour should be reported to the Urban Future team via the conference app, via email to support@urban-future.org, or to any member of the Urban Future event staff. All incidents will be reviewed swiftly.

If requested, and when possible, we will respect any wishes for anonymity beyond the Urban Future team.

Anyone who witnesses what they believe to be noncompliant behaviour should report it. It is not only the responsibility of the targeted individual.

Let’s be frank! If you demonstrate that you don’t share our vision for inclusion, equality, safety, and collaboration, we will act. While we may need further details of an incident to make an informed assessment, we will address it swiftly and in full.

If a complaint is upheld, we will inform the reporting individual of the outcome and the consequences we intend to enforce. If it is not found to violate our community expectations, we will explain why.

Depending on the nature of the issue, the consequences may range from:

• Asking an individual to stop their inappropriate behaviour.
• Ejecting an individual from the premises of our live events temporarily or permanently (ticket holders will not be refunded).
• Reporting the behaviour to the appropriate authority.

January 2025