May 18-20, 2026 | New Orleans, Louisiana

NGIN’s biennial summit bringing together leaders from Small and Midsized Cities across the country to dive into innovative practices, strengthen networks, and champion new pathways for locally driven, community-centered economic growth. 

Register to Attend

Your city’s next chapter starts with innovation—join us at Cityscapes.

The Cityscapes Summit is a national event where leaders dedicated to reimagining local economies gather for immersive sessions, practical insights, and collaborative problem-solving to advance inclusive growth. In 2024, we hosted the inaugural Cityscapes Summit in Durham, North Carolina, welcoming more than 400 leaders who came together to explore fresh approaches to economic growth .

This May, in New Orleans, Cityscapes 2026 builds on that momentum, tackling the most urgent themes shaping opportunity today: community wealth-building, innovative investment models, the changing nature of work, technology’s growing influence, and the partnerships capable of transforming entire communities.

Our content tracks are three focused topic areas where we are igniting innovation around the ideas, strategies, and partnerships strengthening economic growth in small and midsized cities. This year’s tracks are:

Charging
Community Wealth & Ownership
Sessions from this track center the policies, partnerships, and practices that help more people participate in—and benefit from—local economic growth.
Catalyzing
Capital & Investment
Sessions from this track examine how capital can align with community priorities to support development, revitalization, anchor-led investment, and locally rooted growth.
Fueling
The Future of Economic Development
Sessions from this track explore the ideas shaping what comes next—from AI and data-driven governance to workforce transformation and cross-sector collaboration.
General Ticket - Cityscapes Summit
$599.00

Presale tickets offer the lowest price available this year and early access before general registration opens. Space is limited, and once presale closes, rates will increase. If Cityscapes is on your calendar, now is the time to secure your spot and begin planning your experience.

Register to Join Like-Minded City Leaders from Across the Nation.

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Become a Sponsor

Design Your Days—Explore the Agenda

Select a day to explore the Cityscapes Summit 2026 schedule.

12:00 PM

Registration Begins
Duration: 90 mins
Arrive, check in, and receive your badge before programming begins.

1:00 PM

Invite Only | Board Meeting
Duration: 60 mins
Private meeting for NGIN board members to align on strategy and priorities.

2:00 PM

Site Visit | Stabilizing Legacy Corridors
Duration: 90 mins
Explore corridor revitalization efforts rooted in local culture, community identity, and economic development.
Tour | Grow Dat Youth Farm
Duration: 90 mins
Visit Grow Dat Youth Farm and learn how youth leadership, food systems, and workforce development intersect in practice.
Workshop | Making Invisible Work Visible: A Hands-On Scorecard Workshop for Innovation Ecosystem Builders
Duration: 90 mins
Engage with a practical tool designed to help innovation ecosystem builders better understand and measure the often unseen work that supports stronger local economies.
Facilitator: Amy Bearid, Ecosystem Edge
Workshop | Facilitation on Energy
Duration: 90 mins
Join this facilitated session focused on energy-related opportunities, challenges, and strategies shaping community and economic development.
Facilitator: Henry Golatt, HBCU Community Action Coalition
Tour | Black Heritage and Jazz Tour
Duration: 90 mins
Experience New Orleans through a guided tour rooted in Black history and jazz culture.
Experience | Makers Market
Duration: Open until 5:00
Browse and support local vendors showcasing goods, art, and products from the New Orleans community.
Invite Only | SMC Social
Duration: 120 mins
Connect with peers across small and midsized cities and build relationships with fellow practitioners.

2:45 PM

Break | Coffee Break
Duration: 20 mins
Take a moment to recharge, grab refreshments, and connect with fellow attendees.

3:00 PM

Invite Only | Leaders Roundtable
Duration: 90 mins
A small-group conversation with leaders across sectors to share insights and discuss key challenges and opportunities.

3:30 PM

Tour | Grow Dat Youth Farm (Group 2)
Duration: 90 mins
Workshop | Making Invisible Work Visible (Group 2)
Duration: 90 mins
Site Visit | Claiborne Cultural Corridor
Duration: 90 mins
Explore how culture, community memory, and place-based development come together along the Claiborne corridor.
Experience | National Economic Resilience Data Explorer - NERDE Demo & Office Hours
Duration: Open until 5 PM
Drop in for a live demo and informal office hours conversation.

5:30 PM

Evening Event | Cityscapes Celebration
Duration: 150 mins
Enjoy great food, drinks, and music while connecting with fellow attendees. This opening gathering is designed to help you build relationships, ground your intentions for the Summit, and kick things off in a welcoming, social atmosphere.

7:30 AM

Registration
Duration: 90 mins
New arrivals may check in for the day’s programming.

8:00 AM

Meal | Breakfast
Duration: 60 mins
Start the day with breakfast and informal networking.

9:00 AM

Mainstage Session | Summit Opening
Open Cityscapes Summit 2026 with remarks from the New Growth Innovation Network team and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, including a land acknowledgment and the presentation of the Luminary Award for Economic Excellence.

10:00 AM

Mainstage Session | Keynote
Join us for a keynote from a leading voice in the field, sharing insights and perspectives to help small and midsized cities ignite innovation and move forward.
Experience | Grounding Station
Duration: Open til 5 PM
A sensory space designed for rest and reset between sessions. Attendees are invited to step away, recharge, and return grounded and ready to engage.

11:00 AM

Mainstage Session | Innovations, Investment and Impact: The SMC Blueprint
This opening plenary brings together national and local leaders to explore how small and midsized cities can align innovation, investment, and impact to expand economic opportunity. The session highlights connections between community health, economic mobility, and inclusive growth, with real-world examples of what’s working.

11:45 AM

Break

12:00 PM

50-Minute Breakout Sessions
Session | Reimagining Entrepreneurship through Community Economics
Community Wealth & Ownership
Explore how Legacy Lab, a Common Future initiative, brings together community businesses across Durham, Detroit, Baltimore, and Memphis to build collective ownership and economic power through shared learning and collaboration.
Speaker(s): Roquel Crutcher (Common Future), Courtney Smith (Culinary Femme Collective), Bartholomew Jones (Cxffee Black)
Session | Unlocking Capital: Building Community Investment Ecosystems on Main Street
Capital & Investment
Explore how the Capital Absorption Framework connects community organizations with capital to move beyond one-off deals toward sustainable investment ecosystems.
Speaker(s): Luke Hallowell (Main Street America), Omar Carrillo Tinajero (Center for Community Investment), LeShawn Farmer (River District Association)
Session | The Road Ahead: Quality Jobs and the Future of Work
The Future of Economic Development
Discover how local leaders are designing workforce strategies that center job quality, worker voice, and equity in an AI-driven economy.
Session | Making AI Work for Community and Economic Development
The Future of Economic Development
This session will explore how cities can use AI to advance inclusive economic growth - through data practices, workforce development tools, and community-informed implementation. Speakers will share practical examples of how AI can help local leaders improve economic mobility and ensure emerging technologies work for everyone.

12:50 PM

Break
Transition time between sessions.

1:00 PM

Experience | Stop & Snap
Get your LinkedIn profile picture updated with a professional photographer at Cityscapes.
Meal | Lunch
Enjoy lunch and connect with fellow attendees.

1:30 PM

Experience | Mental Health Single Sessions
Book a free, one-on-one session with a licensed mental health specialist. Appointments will open to registrants a week before the Summit.

2:00 PM

75-Minute Breakout Sessions
Session | Beyond the Promise: Real Community Ownership in Practice
Community Wealth & Ownership
The Brookings Institute will explain how state policy and regional strategy can align through a new state–regional compact, offering practical lessons for small and midsized cities.
Session | Equity and the Intersection of Wealth Building
Community Wealth & Ownership
Join ThirdSpace Action Lab for an interactive workshop that explains what equitable development is and what it looks like at the intersection of wealth building and community development.
Speaker(s): Monica Copeland (ThirdSpace Action Lab), Michelle Witthaus (Invest STL), Devin Cotten (Universal Basic Employment)
Session | Aligning States and Regions for the Next Economy
The Future of Economic Development
Learn from small and midsized cities on how state policy and regional strategies can align to deliver inclusive growth.
Speaker(s): Joe Parilla (Brookings Metro), Joy Polefrone (Alliance for Building Better Medicine / APM Tech Hub), Bethany Hartley (South Bend - Elkhart Regional Partnership)
Session | Community Anchors and Their Collective Power
Community Wealth & Ownership
Learn lessons from Legacy Lab’s cohort of community businesses across several cities and how collaboration across places can strengthen local ownership strategies.
Session | Anchors at Work: Investing Locally Through Trusted Institutions
Capital & Investment
Examine how hospitals, universities, and faith institutions can unlock investment and partner with communities to advance equitable economic development.
Speaker(s): David Zuckerman (Healthcare Anchor Network), Sidney Williams, Henry Golatt( HBCU CDAC), Bernita Johnson-Gabriel (NGIN)

3:15 PM

Break
Transition and recharge.

3:30 PM

75-Minute Breakout Sessions
Session | Silos Synergy: Building Cross-Sector Power
The Future of Economic Development
Gather insights from NGIN’s Economic Partnership Alliance on building partnerships across sectors to drive inclusive economic development.
Session | Understanding Ecosystems to Support Community-Owned Real Estate
Community Wealth & Ownership
Explore how community-owned real estate ecosystems function, from financial structuring to partnerships that sustain long-term community ownership.
Speaker(s): Yerin Cho (Center for Community Investment), Nola Miguel (GES Coalition--Tierra Colectiva CLT), Ahmed More(University of Miami), Helen Leung (LA Más),.
Session | Catalytic Capital: Financing Community Growth
Capital & Investment
Learn how CDFIs and mission-driven investors are financing real estate and business development in underinvested communities.
Speaker(s): Erika Seth Davies (Rhia Ventures), Betsy Biemann (Coastal Enterprises, Inc.) , Brady Meixell (Urban Institute), Damien Wilson (Reinvestment Fund)
Session | Supplier Firms: Innovative Models for Inclusive Prosperity
Capital & Investment
Industry leaders discuss how strengthening supplier firms creates better wages, mobility, and competitiveness for regional economies.
Speaker(s): Dr. Randall Pinkett (BCT Partners), Darrin M. Redus Sr. (Cincinnati Business Accelerator) , Katie Robins (Next Street)

7:00 PM

Experience | Themed Dinners
For an additional add-on, participants will have the option to join a tailored dinner experience with a group of like-minded professionals at local New Orleans restaurants.

8:00 AM

Check In
Arrive and get settled for the final day.
Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast before programming begins.
Grounding Station
A sensory space designed for rest and reset between sessions.

9:00 AM

Experience | Makers Market (Open Until 1:00 PM)
Browse and support local vendors showcasing goods, art, and products from the New Orleans community.
Workshop | Democracy Collaborative Facilitated Session on Community Wealth Building
Duration: 90 mins
Facilitator: Neil McInroy (Democracy Collaborative)
50-Minute Breakout Sessions
Session | Building Wealth From Birth: Baby Bonds and Guaranteed Income
Community Wealth & Ownership
An exploration of Baby Bonds and Guaranteed Income as complementary strategies to close wealth gaps and strengthen long-term financial stability.
Speaker(s): David Radcliffe (The New School), Amit Khanduri (GRO Fund), Yaw Owusu-Boahen (ConnCorp)
Session | Community Finance Roadmaps: Capturing Economic Opportunity from the Energy Transition
Capital & Investment
How regions can align clean energy deployment with economic development using the Community Finance Roadmap framework.
Speaker(s): Aaron Brickman (Rocky Mountain Institute), Meredith Cowart (Rocky Mountain Institute)
Experience | Mental Health Single Sessions
Book a free, one-on-one session with a licensed mental health specialist.
Session | Driving Momentum for Economic Mobility
The Future of Economic Development
This session examines how cities are building momentum around economic mobility by aligning partners, using data, and overcoming implementation challenges.

9:50 AM

Break
Transition between sessions.

10:00 AM

Session | Unlocking Hidden Wealth: Heirs' Property, AI and the Neighborhood Balance Sheet
Community Wealth & Ownership
Learn how work in Jacksonville and New Orleans uses data, AI, and community navigators to unlock home equity and strengthen community balance sheets.
Speaker(s): Kristopher Smith (LISC Jacksonville)
Session | Collecting and Acting on Community Perspectives
The Future of Economic Development
Learn from researchers and practitioners on effective methods for community engagement and qualitative data collection.
Speaker(s): Sarah Miller (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta), Jason Schneider (Civic Possible)
Session | Applying Co-Governance to Unlock a More Democratic Future of Work
The Future of Economic Development
Learn how economic democracy and co-governance are put into practice through a model developed by the Coalition for Worker Ownership and Power to support cooperative ecosystems in Massachusetts.
Speaker(s): Sarah Assefa (Center for Economic Democracy), Shari Davis (Center for Economic Democracy)

10:50 AM

Break
Transition time.

11:00 AM

Mainstage Session | The Future of AI: Exploring the Transitional Moment for Work, Community, and Economic Power
This closing plenary will examine how AI is reshaping work, opportunity, and decision-making across communities—and who gets a voice in that transition.

12:00 PM

Meal | Lunch
Final opportunity to connect with attendees.

1:00 PM

Experience | Final Networking Hour
Wrap up the Summit by connecting with peers, exchanging ideas, and strengthening relationships built over the course of the event.

Speaker Lineup

  • Dara Eskridge

    CEO

    Invest STL

  • John Irons

    SVP + Head of Research

    Siegel Family Endowment

  • Martha Galves

    Executive Director

    NYU Furman Housing Solutions Lab

  • David Radcliffe

    Policy Director

    The New School

  • Erika Seth Davies

    CEO

    Rhia Ventures

  • Adriana Abizadeh-Barbour

    Executive Director

    Kensington Corridor Trust

  • Omar Carrillo Tinajero

    Executive Director

    Center for Community Investment

  • Neil McInroy

    Global Lead for Community Wealth Building

    The Democracy Collaborative

  • Katie Robins

    Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer

    Next Street

  • Christopher Pike

    Executive Director

    Jackson Redevelopment Authority (JRA)

  • Brady Meixell

    Senior Research Associate

    Urban Institute

  • Randal Pinkett

    Chairman and CEO

    BCT Partners

  • Damien Wilson

    Head of HBCU Brilliance Initiative, Lending

    Reinvestment Fund

  • Kristopher Smith

    National Heirs Practice Lead

    LISC Jacksonville

  • Henry Golatt

    Principal Consultant and Chief of Strategies and Partnerships

    HG Consulting Services, LLC/HBCU CDAC

  • Sidney Williams

    CEO

    Crossing Capital Group

  • Luke Hallowell

    Senior Manager of Capital Absorption

    Main Street America

  • Shari Davis

    Co-Executive Director

    The Center for Economic Democracy

  • Lashnawn Farmer

    Director of Expansion & Design

    River District Association

  • Monica Copeland

    Project Director

    ThirdSpace Action Lab

  • Yerin Cho

    Senior Program Manager

    Center for Community Investment

  • Michelle Witthaus

    Policy Design + Activation Lead

    Invest STL

  • Helen Leung

    Executive Director

    LA Más

  • Ahmed Mori

    Co-Director, Community Ownership Learning and Action Lab

    University of Miami

  • Amy Beaird

    Co-Founder and Managing

    PartnerEcosystem Edge

  • Devin Cotten

    Founder & CEO

    Universal Basic Employment

  • Bethany Hartley

    President and CEO

    South Bend - Elkhart Regional Partnership

  • Joy Polefrone

    Regional Innovation Officer

    Alliance for Building Better Medicine / APM Tech Hub

  • Ismail Samad

    Co-Founder

    Loiter

  • Kyla Carlsen

    Consultant

    Solveig LLC

  • Bobby Boone

    Founding Principal

    AndAccess

  • David Zuckerman

    President & Founder

    Healthcare Anchor Network

  • Roquel Crutcher

    Director of Strategy, Advocacy and Impact

    Common Future

  • Courtney Smith

    Co-Founder

    Culinary Femme Collective

  • Bartholomew Jones

    CEO & Co-Founder

    Cxffeeblack

  • Larry Reed

    Executive Director

    Thrive Lights

  • Audra Ladd

    Director of Research & Experimentation

    Mechanism

  • Amit Khanduri

    Director of Programs

    GRO Fund

  • Darya Pilram

    Executive Director

    Hillyard Creative District

  • Joe Parilla

    Senior Fellow and Director of Applied Research

    Brookings Metro

Hotel Block Discounts end April 27, 2026.

We’re bringing Cityscapes Summit 2026 to New Orleans, a place defined by culture, community, and reinvention. Hosted at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, the Summit will offer an immersive experience right in the heart of the city. From neighborhood tours and site visits to grounding spaces and a makers market, participants will feel the energy and creativity that make New Orleans so unique. It’s a powerful setting for conversations about the future of local prosperity.

Book Your Stay at the Hyatt Regency

The Cityscapes Experience

01

Pre-conference

Once you’re registered, Cityscapes resources help you get prepared, get connected, and get excited for New Orleans.

  1. Explore the full range of topics and begin building your personalized agenda

  2. Sign up early for limited-capacity sessions like workshops, tours, and roundtables

  3. Book your discounted hotel accommodations through our official hotel block

  4. Access travel tips, venue details, and tools to help you plan your experience

02

During the Conference

Cityscapes brings together bold ideas, practical solutions, and a powerful community of leaders shaping the future of Small and Midsized Cities.

  1. Attend inspiring keynotes, interactive sessions, and hands-on workshops

  2. Experience immersive elements like our local-business Makers Market and the Grounding Station for rest and recharge

  3. Enjoy an evening celebration designed to connect attendees in a fun, relaxed setting

  4. Network with practitioners, funders, partners, and peers from across the country

03

Post-conference

Continue the momentum long after the Summit ends and put your learning into action.

  1. Access session materials, slides, and additional resources shared by presenters

  2. Bring insights back to your team and apply new ideas to ongoing projects

  3. Stay connected with peers you met in New Orleans

  4. Explore partnership, funding, and learning opportunities through NGIN’s Community of Practice

Your Cityscapes Insider Access

Add your email for advance notice on ticket sales, keynote reveals, program highlights, and all major updates leading up to Cityscapes Summit 2026.

Discover the energy of Cityscapes through the voices of attendees and a look back at the moments that defined our inaugural Summit.

Register for Cityscapes 2026

Our Headline Sponsor

The Cityscapes Summit is made possible through the generous support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, our headline sponsor and a key funder of NGIN’s Small & Midsized Cities Hub. Their commitment to healthy, thriving communities helps make this gathering possible.

Additional Sponsors

Become a Sponsor