Caribbean Urban Forum 2025.
The Caribbean Urban Forum (CUF) is an annual three day conference, designed to address specific policy issues within the Caribbean urban sector. Since it’s inception 2011, CUF is acknowledged as the main prospect for practitioners, policy makers and researchers to offer experience and knowledge on ongoing activities in the Caribbean and/or relevant to the Caribbean, to build capacity through training programmes, workshops, scientific paper presentations, and panel discussions and advance policy positions through dialogues.
Trinidad and Tobago will again host CUF on June 4th – 6th 2025 in the city of Port of Spain. We believe that hosting CUF will highlight the importance and value of not only urban and regional planning and land management in general, but has the opportunity to showcase the transformation initiatives that are currently being spearheaded by various regional and international organisations.
CUF will be hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Society of Planners in collaboration with local and regional organisations such as the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government, the University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Network for Urban and Land Management (CNULM).
Caribbean Urban Forum 2025
Hosted in beautiful Trinidad & Tobago, this year’s forum will take place from June 4-6, 2025, under the theme: Replanning & Resilience: The Roadmap for Caribbean Cities.
Mr. Aisha Donaldson
Meet the Communications Lead: Ms. Aisha Donaldson✨ 🎤
Get ready to stay in the know about #CUF2025
✅ Call for abstracts
✅ Speaker announcements
✅ Event highlights
✅ And much more!
Dr Ancil Kirk
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Ancil Kirk, a Spatial Planning Professional and Assistant Co-ordinator at the Town and Country Planning Division, Trinidad & Tobago. Having attended all but one Caribbean Urban Forum (CUF) conferences, he shares firsthand insights on the benefits of attending CUF 2025! 🌍
Dr. Asad Mohammed
Hear from the Founder & Co-Chair of the Caribbean Urban Forum, Dr. Asad Mohammed, as he shares insights about this year’s conference, happening in Trinidad & Tobago 🇹🇹 from June 4-6, 2025.
Theme: Replanning & Resilience: The Roadmap for Caribbean Cities
Call for Abstracts / Submission Criteria
CUF 2025 program areas will include sessions on these topics:
Resilience and Climate Change
The theme focuses on the critical intersection of resilience and climate change in Caribbean urban planning and development. It aims to explore innovative research, strategies, best practices, and practical tools to enhance the resilience of urban environments against the impacts of climate change and natural hazards. It discusses community engagement, the role of NGOs, and local governance in promoting local capacities, knowledge, and practices for developing community-based resilience plans. It emphasizes the importance of training requirements at both the professional and technical levels. The theme stresses resilience and health interlinkages.
Digitalization and Critical Infrastructure
This subtheme explores the transformative role of digital technologies in enhancing urban planning and securing critical infrastructure in the Caribbean. In the urban-planning context, critical infrastructure might be defined as the critical basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of the city or settlement, such as ICT, electrical power systems, banking and finance, transportation, water supply and sewage systems, waste collection, emergency services (including medical, police, fire, and rescue), and continuity of government. The theme is how digitalization can improve critical infrastructure systems’ efficiency, resilience, and sustainability.
Justice, Equity, Gender, Inclusion
This sub-theme focusses on the central role of cities and settlements in light of the New Urban Agenda and the Regional Action Plan for their implementation in the Caribbean. It stresses the critical importance of decentralisation, justice, equity, gender, and inclusion in urban planning and development. It explores tools, best practices, and frameworks to ensure that all community members, especially marginalised groups, are considered and included in the planning processes. The theme places a strong emphasis on the decentralisation of government, planning, services, tools, policy, and legal frameworks.
Design, Art, History, Culture
The sub-theme delves into the interplay between design, art, history, and culture in urban planning and development. It emphasises the importance of integrating cultural and historical contexts into modern urban environments to create vibrant, inclusive, and resilient communities. Contributions that focus on preserving cultural heritage in public spaces and communities, as well as innovative approaches to urban design and art that incorporate cultural and historical elements, are welcome
Click here to explore the various themes and submission criteria.
