Join us in London for the Probiotic Cities Symposium 2026 , an interdisciplinary gathering exploring this year’s theme: The Urban Exposome .
Our cities continuously expose us to complex mixtures of microbes, pollutants, materials, plants, animals, buildings, foods and social environments. Together, these exposures shape human health, ecological health and the ways we experience urban life. The symposium will examine how urban design, architecture, microbiology, ecology and public health can be brought together to better understand—and positively influence—these relationships.
Through a series of talks and discussions, speakers will explore the hidden biological dimensions of cities, including urban microbial communities, environmental exposures, biodiversity and the potential to design healthier, more resilient places for people and the wider living world.
The event brings together researchers and practitioners from institutions including Flinders University, UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture, Queen Margaret University, the University of Helsinki, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, INRS and the Royal College of Art.
Whether you work in research, architecture, planning, public health, ecology, design or urban policy—or are simply curious about the unseen life of cities—the symposium offers an opportunity to encounter new ideas, connect across disciplines and help reimagine what a healthy city might be.
Date: Friday, 4 September 2026
Venue: The Bartlett School of Architecture, 77 Wicklow Street, London, WC1X 9JY
Come and explore how a deeper understanding of the urban exposome could help us create cities that support healthier people, richer biodiversity and more beneficial relationships between humans and the environments they inhabit.
More speakers to be announced!