The AIVP World Conference Cities & Ports brings together mayors, port authorities, technical experts, industry stakeholders, and international institutions to share experiences and best practices in sustainable urban‑port development. The event will take place in the port city of Dunkirk, in northern France, from 3 to 6 November 2026.

Under the theme “Cities and Ports in Motion: Time for Action!”, this latest edition of the AIVP World Conference Cities & Ports 2026 – Dunkirk will invite stakeholders from port cities to come together to explore solutions and strategies that contribute to improving the quality of life and fostering the sustainable transition of city-port regions.

The Conference will be structured around the idea that the future of port cities depends on their ability to jointly decide on the use of spaces, resources and responsibilities, and to work together towards the goal of improving citizens’ quality of life in a context of growing constraints.

Faced with land scarcity, climate and geopolitical pressures, and social expectations, port and municipal authorities can no longer operate in parallel. Sustainable development requires the involvement of all stakeholders, negotiated strategies and a collective long-term vision.

It is therefore a question of sharing, not understood as a simple redistribution, but as an evolving mode of governance: sharing of territories, sharing of risks, sharing of investments and of decision-making processes. It is thanks to this shared approach that port cities can reconcile economic performance, environmental protection and social well-being.

AIVP, the city and the port of Dunkirk are joining forces to present a successful example of shared responsibility between the city and the port. The conference returns to France, fourteen years after the last French edition in Nantes / Saint-Nazaire, which focused on “The new era of the port: urban, citizen-centred and business-oriented” and presented the evolution of ports’ activities and responsibilities.

Expectations of port and city authorities have grown since then, as has the complexity of the world.

Join us from 3 to 6 November for four days of high-level debates, round-table discussions, in-depth case studies, workshops, site visits and opportunities for friendly networking.