The conference is the highlight of the Lively Neighborhoods Week and will take place on September 17 at KKC Hviezda in Trenčín. Its aim is to provide a space for meetings between representatives of municipalities, experts, initiatives, and international guests engaged in supporting communities.
The program combines inspiring examples from Slovakia and abroad with a practical workshop focused on finding ways in which cities, towns, and local community initiatives can collaborate effectively. Emphasis is placed on systemic support for communities and new forms of cooperation that bring community life into cities and neighborhoods.
Participants will have the opportunity to experience not only professional discussions but also direct encounters with urban interventions and grassroots stories that prove change begins with an idea and the will to actively shape the relationships around us. The conference is an invitation to explore ways of connecting people, strengthening trust, and creating cities worth living in.
Program:
CONFERENCE LIVELY NEIGHBORHOODS
Program for invited participants:
08:00–08:45
Registration / coffee and refreshments
08:45–09:00
Conference opening
Patrik Žák, Ján Forgáč – Deputy Mayors of Trenčín
Stanislav Krajči – Director of Trenčín 2026
09:00–09:30
Block 1 / Case Study Trenčín: Small Steps Towards Significant Change
The city as a collective work: participation in practice in Trenčín
Kristína Milová, Petra Strečková – Institute of Participation, Trenčín
Project Lively Neighborhoods
Lenka Abaffyová – Trenčín 2026
09:30–11:30
Block 2 / Joint Search for Solutions: Workshop for municipalities and community initiatives
Led by Martin Buňo – Bystriny
11:30–11:45
Coffee break
11:45–13:30
Block 3 / Systemic Support of Local Communities
Connecting in a big city: challenges and strengths of working with communities
Anna Klingofer-Szostakowska – Department for Strengthening Local Communities, City of Warsaw (PL)
Neighborhood care systems: the case of Söder
Abbas Sbeity – Creative Insights Studio, Helsingborg (SWE)
Path towards active neighborhood: the role of cities and municipalities
Barbora Hradečná – Auto*mat Association, Prague (CZ)
13:30–14:30
Lunch buffet
14:30–15:30
City for People: guided tour of interventions in Trenčín city center
Led by City Curator Omar Mirza and Hana Laššová – Project Manager for Public Space, Trenčín 2026
Program for the general public:
16:30–18:00
Change Comes from Below: Inspiring Neighborhood Initiatives
Neighbors, Let’s Go to the Yard! – Alexandra Mareková – OZ Poď na dvor, Košice
Dolphin Neighborhood: Community from Ružová dolina – Tereza Maco, Michal Buranovský – OZ Susedstvo delfín, Bratislava
How to organize an exhibition in your local greengrocer’s? – Aleksandra Wolak – Ksieze in Pielni, Wrocław (PL)
Life Under the Windows – Katarína Czetmayerová, Veronika Repková, Joshua Lajčiak – Project Lively Neighborhoods, Trenčín
18:00–19:00
Why Communities Matter and How We Can Contribute to Their Development (discussion)
Moderated by Stanislav Krajči.
With selected speakers of the conference.
The Lively Neighborhoods Conference is part of the project What’s in the City Counts. Trenčín 2026 is financially supported by the City of Trenčín, the Trenčín Self-Governing Region, and the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. Partner: European Union.
Photo and video recordings will be made at the event and may be published later.
