Future Cities & Transport UK 2026

The National Summit Connecting Infrastructure, Transport, Investment and Place
Liverpool | 8 July 2026

180 senior delegates | Government & Combined Authorities | Developers, Infrastructure, Transport & Investment Leaders

Future Cities & Transport UK 2026 brought together senior leaders from across government, combined authorities, developers, infrastructure providers, transport bodies, investors, utilities and industry to explore the practical delivery of regional infrastructure growth.

As regional growth rose higher on the national agenda, the focus of the summit moved beyond ambition to delivery – exploring what it takes to unlock investment at scale, deliver major infrastructure, regenerate places and build the partnerships needed to drive long-term economic growth.

Across the day delegates explored:

Transport Systems & Future Mobility
What does an integrated transport system look like in practice?

Sessions explored transport connectivity, mobility, rail, buses, active travel and the infrastructure needed to support regional growth.

Infrastructure Investment & Delivery
How do we unlock the infrastructure needed for growth?

Discussions focused on energy systems, enabling infrastructure, procurement, delivery models and the financing required to move projects from ambition to reality.

New Towns, Regeneration & Place
How do we build places at scale?

Panels examined regeneration, placemaking, development, housing growth and the partnerships required to unlock successful places.

Public-Private Partnerships & Investment
Who pays for future cities?

Government, investors, developers and delivery partners explored investment models, project financing, risk and the partnerships needed to attract private capital.

Powering Growth
What infrastructure is needed to unlock clean industrial growth?

Speakers examined the role of grid capacity, power, utilities and enabling infrastructure in supporting industrial clusters, transport systems and regional economic growth.

Outcomes
Future Cities & Transport UK brought together senior decision-makers from across the public and private sectors to:

Build new partnerships between government, industry and investors.
Share best practice on delivering regional infrastructure and transport.
Explore emerging infrastructure, housing and regeneration pipelines.
Discuss funding, procurement and delivery models.
Strengthen collaboration between the organisations responsible for delivering regional growth.

Future Cities & Transport UK welcomed senior representatives from organisations including:

National Wealth Fund | Homes England | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority | West Yorkshire Combined Authority | Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority | Department for Transport | DESNZ | DEFRA | Transport for the North | Transport for West Midlands | Connected Places Catapult | Liverpool City Region Freeport | Humber Freeport | Peel Ports | Mersey Maritime | National Grid Electricity Transmission | National Energy System Operator | ScottishPower | SP Energy Networks | E.ON | Air Products | First Bus | East West Rail | Fastned | Jaguar Land Rover | Harworth | Galliford Try | Mace | Stantec | Jacobs | Deloitte | EY | PwC | Pinsent Masons | Ridge | Steer Group | Avison Young | HSBC | Clean Growth Fund | Veolia | Ecotricity | Mobilityways | Environment Bank | Downtown in Business | The City of Liverpool College | Fleet Evolution | Resource Futures, alongside many other organisations from across the UK’s infrastructure, transport, investment and sustainability sectors.

More than 80% of delegates held Director, Partner, Head of Function, Programme Lead or equivalent senior leadership positions, creating a highly targeted environment for strategic networking and collaboration.

Hosted in Liverpool with a national outlook, Future Cities & Transport UK demonstrated the growing importance of regional leadership in delivering the infrastructure, transport, investment and regeneration projects that will drive the UK’s clean industrial transition.