The Council & KPF Continue Strategic Partnership Through City Advocacy Forum

30 April 2025, Chicago—The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) announced today that global architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) will continue to serve as the Founding Partner of its City Advocacy Forum, a provocative initiative designed to challenge the status quo of urban development.

As climate change, global population growth and redistribution, and uncertain economic and geopolitical fluctuations stretch cities in unexpected ways, the CTBUH City Advocacy Forum is not just asking what comes next, it’s stepping up to identify who will shape the conversation—and how. With KPF’s leadership, the forum convenes voices from across disciplines to rethink how cities are planned, built, and experienced.

“We’re not here to simply contemplate the problem,” said Javier Quintana de Uña, CEO of CTBUH. “We’re here to change the trajectory of urban life. KPF brings both the credibility and the courage to drive that transformation—from policy to pavement.”

Unlike conventional industry partnerships, KPF’s involvement will be intensive and actionable: through a series of high-impact workshops, public interactions, and collaborative outputs, KPF will help advance a new framework for sustainable urban development—one that’s as focused on smart density and livability as it is on architectural form.

KPF is dedicated to creating high-density urbanism and architecture that makes a lasting impact on cities around the world. Working at a range of scales and typologies, the firm’s projects demonstrate its commitment to design innovation and sustainability while contributing to their surrounding context.

“KPF is deeply invested in creating cities that are not only resilient and sustainable but also equitable and just,” said Forth Bagley, Principal at KPF. “Our partnership with CTBUH through the City Advocacy Forum aligns perfectly with our mission to drive positive change in urban environments through a focus on craft, context, and building performance. By collaborating with global leaders in urban development and planning, we aim to inspire a new era of sustainable and inclusive urbanism that benefits communities worldwide.”

Launched in 2024, the CTBUH City Advocacy Forum injects rigor and urgency into conversations about responsible vertical urbanism. By assembling planning experts from cities worldwide—practitioners who understand the mechanics of high-density living and the methodologies that make it work—the forum moves beyond theory to shape a practicable policy-to-project pipeline and devises scalable strategies for more viable, human-centered cities.

The evolution of a longstanding relationship between CTBUH and KPF, the forum delivers a range of high-value outputs, including the Vertical Urbanism Index, a comparative tool developed to assess how effectively cities can accommodate growth while upholding equity, resilience, and quality of life.

“We’re not interested in sustainability theater,” continued Quintana de Uña. “We want measurable impact—buildings and public spaces that stand up to scrutiny, adapt to diverse and unpredictable needs, and improve the daily lives of real people. This partnership allows us to go upstream—where decisions are made, not just posed in the abstract.”

Press Contact: Charles Mutscheller, [email protected]