Webinar series 2026

A biweekly learning journey for international careers.

A biweekly webinar series within the International Mentoring Program — built to support the professional growth of mentees and mentors.

Every two weeks, urban planners, mentors and invited professionals meet to explore career positioning, international markets, specialization, visibility and strategic pathways.

Collective learning spaces that turn individual uncertainty into shared reflection, practical orientation and international networking.

live.citiesforum.org / webinars
Global urban planning webinar broadcast on screen
Webinar 01 · Live March 3, 2026
International Mentoring Program

Defining your strategic position in the urban planning ecosystem.

8 sessions · biweekly
The series · why it matters

More than webinars: a collective learning journey.

The webinar series is one of the key pillars of the International Mentoring Program for Urban Planners. While one-to-one mentoring supports personalized guidance, these biweekly sessions create a shared intellectual and professional space for the whole community.

8
biweekly sessions
2h
per gathering
+35
attendees on average
A live webinar session with mentors and mentees from the International Mentoring Program for Urban Planners
Inside a session
A typical biweekly gathering mentors and mentees joining from different cities.

Each webinar focuses on a specific challenge faced by urban planners who want to reposition their careers, access international opportunities, identify high-value niches, become more visible or better understand the structural realities of different career pathways.

The format combines expert moderation, guided discussion and open debate allowing mentees and mentors to exchange perspectives across countries, sectors and professional backgrounds.

From individual uncertainty to shared reflection, practical orientation and international networking.
Four pillars guiding every conversation

Each session moves around these four ideas, woven into every debate.

01

Strategic career clarity

Helping participants understand where they fit within the urban planning ecosystem.

02

International market orientation

Providing insight into different professional environments, hiring logics and career pathways.

03

Community-based learning

Creating opportunities for mentors and mentees to learn from each other beyond one-to-one sessions.

04

Professional visibility

Supporting participants in building credibility, positioning and presence in global urban networks.

Programme timeline

Eight conversations. One trajectory.

From March to May 2026, the programme unfolds biweekly across eight sessions, each building on the previous one.

01
March 3, 2026
Poster Defining your strategic position in the urban planning ecosystem
Webinar 01
Strategic positioning and professional identity

Defining your strategic position in the urban planning ecosystem

This webinar helps participants move from vague professional identity to precise strategic positioning. The session maps the contemporary urban planning ecosystem across public institutions, private firms, multilateral agencies, NGOs, research environments and hybrid models. Participants reflect on where influence, funding, innovation and implementation power actually sit, and identify where their experience creates the strongest leverage.

Mentors actively involved · Venugopal AV, Salvador Herrera, Clinton Moore, Jeffrey Shumaker
Mentees actively involved · Lucy Peguero, Kamogelo Motopi, Mercilia Lombe, Jagriti Arora
02
March 17, 2026
Poster Career architecture for mid-career urban planners
Webinar 02
Five-year career strategy and professional trajectory

Career architecture for mid-career urban planners

This session introduces career architecture as a way to design a deliberate five-year professional trajectory instead of drifting reactively. Participants assess accumulated capital, including skills, networks, credibility and geography, and define future positioning goals aligned with global demand trends.

Mentors actively involved · Elisabet Ollé Amat, Hemalatha MC, Didier Vancutsem
Mentees actively involved · Jose Bernardo Gochoco III, Luisa Alcocer, Ana Elisa Torres, Lucy Peguero, Kamohelo Motopi
03
March 31, 2026
Poster How international urban planning markets work
Webinar 03
International markets, recruitment logics and career entry strategies

How international urban planning markets work

This webinar analyzes structural differences between European consultancy ecosystems, North American planning environments, Asian urban development contexts and multilateral project markets. Participants learn how to decode market signals, understand implicit recruitment criteria and adapt their profiles accordingly.

Mentors actively involved · Gabriela Fontanals, Gargi Roy, Jens Aerts, Lucia Megia
Mentees actively involved · Kyra Cuevas, Jasmine Kaur, Jagriti Arora, Vaishali Anavatti
04
April 14, 2026
Poster From generalist to specialist: identifying high-value niches in contemporary urban planning
Webinar 04
Specialization, differentiation and high-value niches

From generalist to specialist: identifying high-value niches in contemporary urban planning

This session explores how to transform broad experience into strategic differentiation. It focuses on high-demand niches such as climate adaptation, mobility systems, digital urbanism, governance innovation and urban finance. Participants identify potential niche pathways and criteria for evaluating their long-term strategic value.

Mentors actively involved · Maria Natalia Paulino Araujo, Ludovic Pittie, Federica Risi, Jenny Sepulveda
Mentees actively involved · Tanishka Sharma, Amer Qawasmi, Shruti Venkatnarayan
05
April 28, 2026
Poster Reinventing your professional identity: strategic career transitions in urban planning
Webinar 05
Career transition and professional reinvention

Reinventing your professional identity: strategic career transitions in urban planning

This webinar explores how to pivot without erasing accumulated credibility. Participants learn how to reframe past experience, translate transferable skills and construct a coherent narrative that supports repositioning. The session introduces a structured transition model based on deconstruction, repositioning, testing and consolidation.

Mentors actively involved · Laureline Lhuillier, Ludovic Pittie, Salvador Herrera, Hemalatha MC
Mentees actively involved · Zoe D'ath, Charlotte Collins, Maria Valentina González, Paola Tovar
06
May 5, 2026
Poster Personal branding & becoming visible in global urban networks
Webinar 06
Visibility, credibility and global professional networks

Personal branding & becoming visible in global urban networks

This webinar examines how recognition is built within global urban networks through conferences, publications, collaborative projects and digital platforms. Participants learn how to position expertise clearly, select the right forums for exposure and communicate value effectively.

Mentors actively involved · Alexandru Matei, Jeffrey Shumaker, AICP, Didier Vancutsem, Janet Piller
Mentees actively involved · Charlotte Collins, Tanishka Sharma, Vaishali Anavatti, Luisa Alcocer Rubio
07
May 12, 2026
Poster Rebuilding confidence after career stagnation
Webinar 07
Confidence, stagnation and strategic momentum

Rebuilding confidence after career stagnation

This session addresses the psychological and strategic dimensions of feeling stuck. Participants examine common mid-career plateaus such as under-recognition, limited mobility and identity fatigue. The webinar introduces momentum-building strategies including small strategic wins, targeted skill reinforcement and network recalibration.

Mentors actively involved · Alexandru Matei, Judy Baker, Hemalatha MC, Jenny Sepulveda, Ilektra Papadaki
Mentees actively involved · Paola Tovar, Kamohelo Motopi, Jasmine Kaur
08
May 19, 2026
Poster Multilateral institutions, NGOs, or urban design firms? Strategic career pathways and structural realities you must understand
Webinar 08
Career pathways across institutional ecosystems

Multilateral institutions, NGOs, or urban design firms? Strategic career pathways and structural realities you must understand

This webinar compares multilateral institutions, international NGOs and private urban design or engineering firms across governance structures, funding cycles, decision-making hierarchies, accountability mechanisms and career progression patterns. The objective is to help participants make informed strategic choices based on personal fit and structural realities.

Mentors actively involved · Lauréline Lhuillier, Venugopal AV, Elisabet Ollé Amat, AICP Angela López Cruz
Mentees actively involved · Ricky Wijaya Umar, Jose Bernardo III Gochoco, Kyra Cuevas, Evelin Raico
A shared journey

From fragmented career concerns to a clear professional trajectory.

Together, these webinars create a shared learning journey for the mentoring community. They help participants move from fragmented career concerns to a clearer understanding of their professional positioning, strategic options and long-term development pathways.