Connected Cities
2026 Summit
October 15-16 Seattle, WA
Join us for historic gathering of leaders shaping the future of our cities and communities to prioritize human connection.
For the last 60 years, we have optimized our cities and culture for individualism and commerce. The result is a country where most people are disconnected and divided.
But that is starting to change. Across the country, civic innovators—organizers, community builders, and cross-sector leaders—are building a new civic era, redesigning our cities and communities around social connection.
The Connected Cities Summit is where we come together to map what communities are building and create a shared vision for how together we can support social connection and trust.
What would a city built for human connection look like?
Who Attends
Leaders shaping how people live, work, gather, and play.
City leaders rebuilding connection locally
National organizations shaping the future of community
Leaders supporting people through life transitions
Builders of spaces, programs, and platforms that bring people together
Funders investing in stronger, more connected communities
Collaborating Partners
EXPERIENCE
A two-day creative sprint: part design studio, part civic gathering, part dinner table.
The Connected City Blueprint
Mapping what is working today and what is possible tomorrow.
The Connected Cities Summit is designed to co-author a shared blueprint that we can all bring back to our communities to inform and inspire our work for the next decade.
It offers:
Shared vision and narrative to guide our field.
Vivid description of the key infrastructure needed.
Practical pathways for collaboration.
October 14th
Arrival Evening
Morning
Pickleball Social
Kick off the summit early with an optional evening of pickleball, food, and new friends.
6:30
October 15th
Developing a Shared Vision
Morning
Registration & Breakfast
8:00
Welcome from summit hosts and Seattle civic leaders to set the stage for two days of co-creation.
8:45
Welcome & Kickoff
Discovery Session Kickoff
Spark new connections during curated walks in Seattle neighborhoods to explore first-hand how connection is being built and eroded in our cities.
9:30
Discovery Sessions
Afternoon
Share what you observed and begin turning field notes into insight.
Lunch & Neighborhood Reflections
11:30
Review of the research on social connection and consumer behavior and rollup of the research with Murmuration
12:30
Making the Case for Connection
Immersive design sessions mapping the lived journeys of people in five key life transitions - new parents, newcomers, health challenges, career transitions, and retirement - to reveal where connection breaks down and where support is found.
1:45
Life Transition Mapping
Working across the levers that shape connection - places, programs, institutions, employers, and narrative - we'll surface the bright spots already working in communities and the gaps we must close together.
4:00
City Mapping
Evening
Celebrity Chef, Michael Hebb, leads us in a collaborative dinner where everyone is a chef.
5:35
Co-Cooking Dinner
9:00
With Seattle Legend, DJ Danger Tom
7:00
Dance Party Celebration
October 16th
Drafting the Blueprint
Morning
Breakfast
8:30
Day 2 Kickoff & Field Reflections
9:00
Design sessions on what it takes to reach everyone in transition - policy, funding, leadership, outreach, and measurement - turning yesterday's maps into the practical architecture of a connected city.
10:00
Building Capacity for a Connected City
Afternoon
With an optional walking group to the Ballard Locks.
11:40
Lunch
City delegations chart their path forward: the leadership table they need, the promising programs they can share, and the help they want from other cities.
12:45
City Planning
Confirm your role in what comes next and reflect on what you'll bring home.
2:30
Civic Commitment & Closing
Evening
Pressing cider together and sharing the elements of our shared vision that emerged from these two days.
3:00
Cider Press Toast with the Troll
Hosts
The Connected Cities Summit is hosted by the US Chamber of Connection in partnership with the National Nordic Museum. The museum is more than a venue, it's a provocation. Nordic countries consistently rank as the happiest and most prosperous in the world, not despite their investment in social connection, but because of it. It's the right place to ask what an American connection-first city could look like.
Summit Curators
Aaron Hurst
Founder of the US Chamber of Connection and one of America's leading architects of social change. As Summit Creative Director, he's designing the ideas, provocations, and frameworks that will forge a shared blueprint and ignite a movement to redesign American cities for human flourishing.
Charlotte Massey
Co-founder of the US Chamber of Connection and leads its Seattle chapter, driving the work to make Seattle the most welcoming city in America. As our Seattle Experience Creative Director, she's bringing the best of the city into the room and out into the streets, so Seattle itself becomes part of what you learn.
Jacob Simons
Principal at Gensler and one of the country's leading experts on how space shapes human behavior. As our Summit Experience Creative Director, he's designing every environment at the summit to unlock creativity, deepen connection, and ensure the work we do enables us to build connected cities together.
Michael Hebb
Renowned speaker, writer, chef and the pioneer of the pop-up restaurant movement. His topic-based dinners, including Death Over Dinner and Exodus Over Dinner, have convened millions around the globe. As our Culinary Experience Creative Director, he’s designing every meal to do what he does best, use the table as a catalyst for the conversations that matter most.
Tickets
The Connected Cities Summit is designed for teams, not just individuals. The most powerful outcomes happen when leaders arrive together and leave with a shared language and commitment to act.
All tickets include full access to both days, all meals, and all experiences. Travel and accommodation are not included.
Civic Designer — $500
For leaders across business, civic life, and government working to build a more connected America.
Team of Three — $1,000
Bring your team. Three tickets for the price of two.
Nonprofit Rate — $250
For leaders from nonprofit and community organizations.
Travel & Accommodations
We encourage participants to stay near the National Nordic Museum in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood to remain immersed in the experience. There are a range of Airbnbs and small hotels in the area but they will book quickly.
Plan to be in Seattle the night of October 14th and to leave the morning of the 17th to ensure you are able fully participate.
Imagine an experience of deep connection, creativity, joy, and hope — with a community of people who share your vision and values.
After two unforgettable days, you’ll have the connections, ideas, and energy to power your courageous work forward.
APPLY TO ATTEND
Summit Sponsorship
The Connected Cities Summit brings together the leaders designing how people connect in modern life—across cities, institutions, and communities.
Your partnership helps turn ideas into action and scale what works across cities.
Interested in partnering to help reconnect cities?