New Cities Summit unveils 2026 speakers and agenda for Johannesburg gathering

The Charter Cities Institute and Waterfall City Management Company have released the speaker lineup, program and partners for the 2026 New Cities Summit, set for Dec. 7-8 in Johannesburg. The event will bring more than 600 developers, investors and government leaders together around city-building deals, infrastructure and governance.

Why it matters: - The New Cities Summit is designed to move city projects from concept to execution by connecting developers, investors and governments in one place. - The third edition lands in Johannesburg as Africa’s urban growth continues to drive demand for capital, infrastructure and governance models that can scale. - Waterfall City will serve as both venue and live case study for the kind of city-building the summit is meant to accelerate.

What happened: - The Charter Cities Institute and Waterfall City Management Company announced the speakers, program and partners for the 2026 New Cities Summit. - The summit will take place Dec. 7-8, 2026, at Waterfall City in Johannesburg. - More than 600 city developers, investors, government leaders and infrastructure providers are expected to attend. - Mark Lutter, founder and executive director of the Charter Cities Institute, framed the gathering as a way to bring capital, infrastructure and governance leaders into one room. - The summit theme is “Innovating the Business of Building Cities: Capital. Infrastructure. Governance.”

The details: - Martin Rama, former World Bank chief economist for Latin America and the Caribbean, will give a global overview of new cities. - Mark Beer, co-founder of Seven Pillars Law, will speak on the legal infrastructure new cities need. - David Pilling, Africa editor at the Financial Times, will interview Siaka Stevens, co-founder and CEO of Sherbro Island City in Sierra Leone, in a fireside chat. - Kurtis Lockhart of Africa Urban Lab will lead a discussion of the World Bank's 2026 Cities and Urbanization Report. - Lant Pritchett, visiting professor of practice at the London School of Economics, will argue that “only economic growth is enough.” - Tuesday’s program opens with Joe Studwell, author of “How Africa Works,” arguing that Africa works only if its cities work. - Bolot Ibragimov, deputy speaker of Kyrgyzstan’s parliament, will lead a plenary on Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia’s new cities. - Magatte Wade, director of the Center for African Prosperity at Atlas Network, will return for her third year to discuss the future of the new cities movement. - Breakout sessions will cover philanthropic funding for economic growth, Africa’s industrialisation, digital economic zones, Egypt’s Ras El Hekma, Rendeavour as a new city developer, free international cities, entrepreneurship, urban expansion, Africa’s urban future, alpha cities, autonomous cities, planning for growth and affordable housing. - Panels will focus on the finance and tenant attraction needed to make a city work and will include new city CEOs sharing lessons learned. - David Ansara, CEO of the Free Market Foundation, will host a panel on fixing South Africa’s cities. - The summit closes on Dec. 8 with announcements and signing ceremonies. - The world premiere of the film “Building Opportunity” will take place on Dec. 7. - The full schedule is available here.

Between the lines: - The event’s structure emphasizes deal flow, working sessions and curated networking over a traditional conference format. - The Cities Investment Forum is built to pair vetted projects with investors whose mandates fit them, which suggests the summit is trying to create financing outcomes, not just discussion. - The lineup mixes global institutions, Africa-focused projects and city developers from outside the continent, signaling an attempt to position new cities as a global investment category. - Waterfall City’s scale and planned population give the venue added credibility as a demonstration of long-horizon urban development.

What’s next: - Developers can submit proposals to the Cities Investment Forum here. - Registration remains open here, with passes priced from $79 to $1,195. - A limited number of partnership opportunities remain, with inquiries directed to Michael Holstein at michael@cci.city. - The summit is expected to end with announcements and signing ceremonies that could signal new deals or project commitments.

The bottom line: - The 2026 New Cities Summit is positioning Johannesburg as a hub for new city finance, policy and deal-making, with Waterfall City serving as the real-world backdrop for a fast-growing urban development sector.