Bucharest is becoming the epicentre of urban innovation. On the weekend of April 26–27, 2025, the first edition of the new Urban Habits (nUH) festival takes place – a living space for ideas, debates and co-creation, organised by UrbanizeHub at LOKAL (57 Mihai Eminescu Street) and on Erou Ion Călin Street, temporarily transformed into an active pedestrian zone.
The themes addressed at nUH range from innovation, design and circularity to community, mobility, housing, art, emotion and urban wellbeing.
Admission is free, and all activities within the festival are free, but workshops and tours in the EDUCATE section have limited places and require prior registration on the official website.
The new Urban Habits (nUH) program
The program at the new Urban Habits is structured around three main categories:
INSPIRE: The UrbanTalks stage hosts presentations and conversations with urban innovators, opinion leaders and sustainability experts.
EDUCATE: Hands-on workshops, guided tours, interactive sessions – some with limited participation, based on registration.
CONNECT: Activations, exhibitions, immersive installations, live music, DJ sets, stand-up comedy and many other surprises.
There will be over 20 interactive workshops on topics such as tactical urbanism, circular cities, AI, participatory art, critical thinking, as well as activities specifically designed for children and families. Activities also include guided urban tours and sessions specifically designed for children and families.
What do people want from their cities?
To better understand what people want from the cities they live in, UrbanizeHub collaborated with Izi Data for a study among the national urban population, which served as the basis for the concept of the new Urban Habits festival. The research showed that urban priorities differ across generations – from affordable housing to career, health, or air quality – and that there is a clear desire for change: people want to adopt healthier, more efficient, and more sustainable habits, but they feel the need for contexts that make these habits accessible and natural.
Why new Urban Habits?
Cities are not just buildings and infrastructure, but ecosystems of relationships and habits. While ideas like “smart city” or “green living” are frequently invoked, nUH proposes to translate them into real behaviors.
“The discrepancy between what we say and what we do – the SAY-DO gap – holds us back. new Urban Habits challenges this pattern and creates contexts for change.”
nUH is an invitation to action, not just conversation – a place where we test, co-create and transform the city through education, inspiration and connection.
new Urban Habits is a project branded by UrbanizeHub.
