Our Urban Future: The Next Era of Making Change in America’s Cities

A Kresge Centennial Year National Convening

America’s cities are home to committed urban changemakers. Over the next decade, these changemakers will need to simultaneously address three essential challenges: racial repair and healing, climate adaptation and resilience, and economic mobility and abundance.

As part of our centennial year, The Kresge Foundation hosted a powerful conference that centered the people and places seeking to address these and other opportunities in American cities.

More than 300 changemakers joined us from 12 cities across the country September 10-12, 2024 for the Our Urban Future convening to celebrate progress, reflect, discuss what we’re learning, and, most importantly, roll up our sleeves to address the practices and actions required to realize a better future.

The event was held at the ICON building on the Detroit RiverWalk and focused broadly on five themes: reparative community development, climate action, economic equity, and culture and community power building, with a steady undercurrent of the importance of place.

Learn more below.