Designing Cities Conference

An engaged, vibrant community has always been at the core of NACTO’s work. And nowhere is the unique importance and power of that community clearer than at our annual Designing Cities Conference.

The NACTO Designing Cities Conference equips thousands of city staff with the resources, information, and relationships to build safe, sustainable, equitable, accessible streets. Every year, we catch up with peers and colleagues, make new connections, and feel the buzz of entering a room of over 1,000 people committed to a shared mission. We celebrate our successes and support each other in the face of adversity or tragedy. We recommit to doing the difficult work of addressing the intertwined safety, equity, and climate crises facing our cities.

We gather because we believe that transforming streets is not only possible, but necessary to address climate change and structural inequities. This radical optimism and belief in our collective ability to make change fuels our work and drives all that NACTO does. The Designing Cities Conference is our primary vehicle for building and sustaining the community that makes this movement possible.

City transportation staff make up 70% of the attendees at the Designing Cities Conference. The conference centers NACTO’s members–city transportation departments and transit agencies across the U.S. and Canada. Representatives from nearly all of our 100+ member agencies attend, along with participants from dozens of other cities across North America, and some from across the globe. 

Every year we have featured innovations from movers and shakers in city transportation leadership. Nearly every session has public sector presenters who talk about successes and challenges from real projects. 

Attendance is rounded out by representatives from key federal and state agencies, like-minded organizations, and limited private sector participation (screened through an application process). This intentional mix enables the Designing Cities conference to create the space for real, sustained dialogue for transportation agency staff, in rooms full of people with similar goals and challenges. 

All aspects of the NACTO Designing Cities conference are carefully planned, with a focus on the most pressing topics for our member agencies. Unlike many conferences, NACTO does not have an open call for session proposals.

NACTO staff compile input from members on conference topics year-round: from member surveys, peer network meetings, listserv conversations, feedback from previous conferences, and sustained dialogue with each year’s host city and local transportation advocates. The toughest challenge for NACTO staff is fitting as many programming ideas as we can within a few days!

Walkshops

WalkShops–a conference highlight–are planned primarily by the host city, as well as other public sector partners in the region. These engaged dialogues, centered around tours of real projects on the ground, allow everyone to leave the conference venue and see how street designs work in real life, with project leaders giving a behind-the-scenes look at successes and challenges. WalkShops will often feature neighborhood groups, business owners, and other partners that shaped the project they are highlighting. 

Peer Sessions

Every peer session (breakout session) at Designing Cities is carefully planned by a NACTO staff member or a city practitioner on the Member Program Committee. Peer sessions are designed to foster peer-to-peer learning for city staff and discuss key issues in depth, with tangible outcomes.

Conference-Wide Sessions

NACTO staff and board members identify inspirational leaders to speak at plenaries and plan the opening reception. All members are invited to highlight a program, initiative, or project by creating a poster and displaying it to conference attendees at Meet the Cities. 

Workshops

Conference attendees can purchase tickets for add-on workshops designed to strengthen professional skills. Workshops are developed and facilitated both by NACTO staff and by outside consultants. 

Side Events

Side events to the conference (some of which are programmed by NACTO), include networking events and gatherings like the BIPOC Breakfast, Neighborhood Dinners, member meet ups, and roundtables on specific topics. 

Attend Designing Cities!

The most obvious way–your presence–is the best way to start. If you work for a NACTO member agency or other public sector body, get in touch with your leadership about approval to attend the conference. All NACTO member agencies receive one complimentary conference registration each year. In addition, NACTO members get a discounted ticket price and first dibs on registration and choosing their preferred WalkShops. Note that for non-sponsors, private sector participation requires an application and is limited to 3 people per company to maintain our intentional audience mix.

Sponsor the Conference

There is no better place than NACTO Designing Cities to highlight your commitment to urban transportation and connect with the public sector leaders and practitioners who plan, design, advocate for, and deliver safe, accessible, and equitable mobility.

Sponsorship is the only guaranteed way to secure and augment your staff presence at the conference, which otherwise requires an application process and is limited to 3 people per company.  

Join the Member Program Committee

Designing Cities does not have an open call for session proposals. Instead, our sessions are planned by the conference host city, NACTO staff, or city practitioners on the Member Program Committee. 

Staff from NACTO member agencies form the Member Program Committee. These people help shape the conference by bringing their unique perspectives to planning and coordinating a peer session. NACTO staff select members based on their applications,  with the goals of building a strong program and reflecting the diversity of our membership.

Our call for interest in joining the Designing Cities 2026 Member Program Committee is closed.