CNU34 Call for Session Proposals Now Open
Proposals for Educational Sessions, Implementation Sessions, Project Showcases and Meetings are now being accepted through the abstract submission portal: Open Water. You may submit your session proposal through November 7th.
Prior to submission, please review the CNU34 Session Proposal Guide, which includes information about the CNU34 Focus, key Congress goals, and the individual requirements for sessions.
About CNU34
Living up to its name, CNU34 will take place in multiple locations across the two largest cities in the NWA region. CNU staff will be organizing the content of each day of the Congress to align with the varying context of these locations, which will factor into where sessions are placed. Communications with speakers on session placement will be clear and made well in advance. Transportation will be provided to all attendees throughout the week to ensure that sessions can be attended, regardless of where they have chosen to stay. To ensure that CNU34 is a successful Congress experience for all participants, CNU will not be able to honor personal preference for selected session location or timing within the event program. The week of CNU34 will be as follows:
- Tuesday, May 12 will be a day of regional tours and specialized content.
- Wednesday, May 13 to Friday, May 15 will be the bulk of our regular Congress content, including Main Stages, keynotes, and the majority of sessions.
- Saturday, May 16 will include our Community Outreach Day content and regional tours.
CNU 34 Review Process and Timeline
All submitted proposals will be reviewed by this year’s Congress Program Committee, an ad hoc Board committee of subject matter experts responsible for providing oversight of the development of session types and program format, reviewing the call for proposals, reviewing and ranking all sessions, and curating and placing the sessions in the schedule. Congress Program Committee members will complete the initial review of submissions in mid-December. You may be asked to make changes to your proposal, provide more information on your proposal, refine proposed learning objectives, or combine your proposal with another submitted proposal.
Key deadlines:
- October 6, 2025: Request for proposals released to CNU Members
- October 13, 2025: Request for proposals released to the public
- November 7, 2025: Request for proposals closed
- January 26-31, 2026: All submitters notified of proposal status
- March 1, 2026: Deadline for selected presenters and speakers to register for Congress as confirmation of program delivery
Session Type Overview
Educational Session: Formerly known as “classes” or “core courses”, Educational Sessions provide the backbone of Congress learning opportunities. They are designed to teach foundational concepts to attendees and can be introductory, intermediate, or master-class level examinations of core New Urbanist principles and practice. Educational Sessions provide an opportunity for presenters to share knowledge with attendees, and require that attendees receive a document with key points and resources in addition to the powerpoint presentation after attending.
- Goal: Knowledge-sharing
- Requirements: Educational Sessions require the development of an outline prior to the Congress, optional materials for attendees, and a summary document (with resources) to be distributed post-Congress.
Meeting: Meetings are an opportunity for attendees to gather and advance New Urbanist discourse on a certain topic. The main activity in a meeting is collaborative discussion, with the outcome being an advanced or more nuanced understanding of the topic. Examples include coalition building for an advocacy platform, a discussion on the agenda of a caucus or affiliate, or a focused discussion on a specific area of New Urbanist practice.
- Goal: Discussion
- Requirements: Meeting Facilitators need to provide an objective for the meeting and additional hosts, if applicable.
Project Showcase: Submit a single (or themed group of) projects that aim to set an example for attendees. Project Showcase sessions can include critiques, practical analysis, lessons-learned, demonstrations of success or failures, the disconnect between the plans and reality of a project, or project outcomes.
- Goal: Example-setting
- Requirements: Project Showcase sessions must demonstrate what attendees will learn from the project(s)
Implementation Session: To help expand the body of built examples and adopted policies that make up the practice of New Urbanism, Implementation Sessions are designed to provide attendees with a demonstration of the effective implementation of a policy, strategy, or design technique used in achieving our shared vision.
- Goal: Demonstration
- Requirements: Impelementation Sessions must name the policy or technique that attendees will learn about.
Additional session types that will be seen at CNU 34 include:
- Main Stage and Keynote Presentations
- Workshops