Ab Initio – Urban Utopia: New Towns, New Narratives

Nova Gorica will host the final meeting of the European project New Towns | New Narratives from 15 to 17 October 2025.

From 15 to 17 October 2025, Nova Gorica – the first newly built city to hold the title of European Capital of Culture – will host the closing meeting of the European project New Towns | New Narratives, which brings together 16 post-war European new towns, all designed as modern utopias and now thriving with their own communities and stories.

Participating cities include Fritz Heckert (Chemnitz, Germany), Dimitrovgrad (Bulgaria), Drumul Taberei (Romania), Dunaújváros (Hungary), Grand Paris Sud (France), Hellersdorf (Germany), Ilijaš (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Kohtla-Järve (Estonia), Milton Keynes (United Kingdom), Nowa Huta (Poland), Rotterdam (Netherlands), San Polo (Italy), Spijkenisse (Netherlands), Visaginas (Lithuania), and Zoetermeer (Netherlands).

The highlight of the event will take place on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, at 6:30 PM in the EPICenter, Nova Gorica, with the opening of the exhibition and presentation of the book Telling the Story, produced by the International New Town Institute (INTI) in Rotterdam. The publication gathers reflections on urban identity, post-industrial transition, and the role of communities in shaping the future of new towns.

The exhibition, open until 30 October 2025, will feature the stories of all 16 participating cities, revealing how architecture, memory, and belonging intersect in the making of urban identity.

The three-day programme will also include talks and guided visits by leading Slovenian experts:

• Dr. Blaž Kosovel, head of the Ab Initio project – guided tour of Nova Gorica,

• Dr. Kaja Širok, historian and researcher of cultural and cross-border heritage,

• Dr. Stojan Pelko, presenting the GO! 2025 project,

• Architect Nejc Koradin, on urban development from Solkan to Miren,

• David Kožuh (Goriška Museum) – guided tour of the Goriška region,

• Prof. Dr. Saša Dobričič, on the renewal of Europe Square and cross-border spaces,

• Anja Medved, screening of her film The City in the Meadow.

The Ab Initio – Urban Utopia project, Slovenian partner of the European network New Towns | New Narratives, is the only GO! 2025 initiative entirely dedicated to exploring the phenomenon of new towns, their shared challenges, evolving identities, and future visions.