Future City Experience 2026
Building the Cities
of Tomorrow
More than 1,000 students explored engineering, public infrastructure, sustainability, and community design through the Future City Experience 2026.
A Year of Big Ideas
What does a better future look like?
According to the students of Future City Experience 2026, it looks like cities powered by renewable energy, designed around people rather than cars, connected through smart technology, resilient to climate challenges, and accessible to everyone.
Approximately 1,000 students from 40 participating classrooms explored what it means to design communities that are sustainable, inclusive, and prepared for the future.
May 20, 2026
The Showcase
Students from 16 classrooms gathered virtually for a celebration of learning — presenting designs to industry professionals, university partners, and community leaders.
- Keynote from Ontario Tech University Mechanical Engineering student
- 3D design workshop
- Interactive engineering trivia activities
- Peer recognition and celebration awards
What Students Created
Remarkable Depth, Creativity
and Systems Thinking
Across the Showcase, students connected environmental sustainability, economic development, public health, transportation, and social inclusion into bold, unified visions for future communities.
Spotlight Projects
Tanah Lestari
Alexander Graham Bell Public School
Pad Ma City
Alexander Graham Bell Public School
Sir Adam Beck City
St. John XXIII CES
Tanah Lestari
Alexander Graham Bell Public School
Tanah Lestari impressed Showcase volunteers with a fully connected circular economy that integrated renewable energy, water conservation, food sustainability, waste reduction, AI-powered systems, photovoltaic paint, piezoelectric flooring, and automated agriculture. Students developed an ambitious vision where technology and sustainability work together to improve everyday life.
Pad Ma City
Alexander Graham Bell Public School
Pad Ma City transformed waste into opportunity through interconnected circular systems. Students incorporated AI-driven nutrient forecasting, underground vertical farming, renewable energy, sponge city infrastructure, and precision agriculture to create a resilient and sustainable community.
Sir Adam Beck City
St. John XXIII CES
Sir Adam Beck City featured a functioning water distribution and recycling system that powered energy generation, irrigation, cooling, and agricultural sustainability. The project demonstrated an impressive understanding of systems thinking and resource management.
Ideas in Action
Topics Students Explored
From AI-powered transportation to nature-based infrastructure, students tackled some of the most pressing challenges facing communities today.
"These students designed cities that worked with nature instead of against it. They considered affordability, jobs, transportation, emergency access, food systems, renewable energy, and community wellbeing. Their solutions were thoughtful, systems-level, and grounded in real human needs."
— Room Mentor, Showcase 2026
A Moment We Won't Forget
A Moment We
Won't Forget
"I am literally in tears after the first presentation. There are six girls on the team, all from India, first generation. They even designed their own website. I have my website address and can't figure out how to start building a website, and these school-age kids built a website that looks corporate just for this project. This is absolutely unbelievable."
"The lost immigrant teenager in me is hopeful for the future."
— Damineh Akhavan, P.Eng., MBA
Student Experience
Thinking Like Engineers,
Planners, and Leaders
Through hands-on project work, students were challenged to adopt real professional roles and develop solutions that reflected not only technical knowledge, but empathy, systems thinking, and optimism.
Engineering mindset
Students approached challenges like engineers and public works professionals, developing real technical and creative solutions.
Community thinking
Designs centred human needs — affordable housing, public health, accessibility, and social inclusion woven into every vision.
Career connections
Live feedback from industry professionals and post-secondary partners helped students connect classroom work to real-world pathways.
Community Partnerships
The Power of Investing in Youth
Future City Experience succeeds because of the professionals, organizations, and volunteers who choose to invest in the next generation. These interactions help students connect classroom learning with meaningful career pathways.
Ontario Tech University
Provided technical and logistical support that made the virtual Showcase possible, including a keynote from a fifth-year Mechanical Engineering student.
Ontario Public Works Association
Four OPWA members volunteered as Showcase room mentors, helping students connect classroom learning with real-world public infrastructure, transportation, water systems, and community planning. Their participation provided students with valuable feedback while helping them better understand the people responsible for designing, building, and maintaining the communities we rely on every day.
Industry & Post-Secondary Volunteers
Engineers, public works professionals, and post-secondary students joined as mentors, presenters, judges, and role models.
Engineers Canada
Future City Experience was founded by Engineers Canada as an initiative that has helped shape engineering education for young Canadians. We are grateful for the model they have built and the broader community it continues to inspire.
Volunteer Voices
What Volunteers Saw
The professionals who joined Future City Experience as Showcase mentors didn't just observe — they were moved. Their reactions speak to the quality and ambition of what these students created.
They didn't just build a model. They thought like engineers.
— Showcase Room Mentor, 2026
If this is the future of engineering, we’re heading in a very hopeful direction!
— Showcase Room Mentor, 2026
Their ideas weren’t impressive just because they were in Grade 6-8. They were genuinely impressive. Full stop.
— Showcase Room Mentor, 2026
One thing that especially stayed with me: many of the teams were entirely made up of girls.
— Showcase Room Mentor, 2026
The future is in
very good hands.
Future City Experience is not about predicting the future. It is about empowering young people to create it. When students are given the opportunity to tackle authentic challenges, collaborate with professionals, and share their ideas, they consistently exceed expectations.
Join us as a mentor, partner, or sponsor