This July, leading international architects and design thinkers will flock to the world's most liveable city to weigh in on the issue of liveability.

The Living Cities Forum is a new initiative, organised by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, that will see influential speakers explore the definition of liveability. Through the lens of design, it will attempt to demonstrate what a truly liveable city looks like.

International speakers for the event include OMA’s managing partner, David Gianotten (Rotterdam); RIBA Stirling Prize architect, Benedetta Tagliabue (Barcelona); celebrated architecture critic, author and curator, Mimi Zeiger (Los Angeles); and head of Arup’s digital studio, digital designer, professor and urbanist, Dan Hill (London).

Naomi Milgrom AO, Founder of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, says that the Living Cities Forum will act as a visionary think tank and allow participants to witness how design can solve real-world problems.

Commenting on the new project, Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley said that Melbourne was the ideal place to host the forum, being the world’s most liveable city as well as a hub for design, innovation and ideas.

LIVING CITIES FORUM 2017 SPEAKERS

David Gianotten (Rotterdam) is managing partner architect of influential architecture firm OMA. Gianotten is the architect for MPavilion 2017, alongside Rem Koolhaas.

Mimi Zeiger (Los Angeles) has a body of work situated at the intersection of architecture and media cultures. Zeiger is also an award-winning critic, editor and curator.

Benedetta Tagliabue (Barcelona) is an award-winning architect, visiting professor of architecture, Pritzker Prize jury member and co-founder of the firm Miralles Tagliabue EMBT.

Dan Hill (London) is associate director at Arup. Hill is at the head of Arup's multidisciplinary digital studio, which develops transformative digital technology for cities, spaces, infrastructure, buildings and organisations.

Marisa Yiu (Hong Kong) is a writer, curator and architect. Yiu is also founding partner of multi-disciplinary architecture studio, ESKYIU.

Rory Hyde (London) is a curator of contemporary architecture and urbanism at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Living Cities Forum 2017 will take place on Thursday 27 July at Deakin Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne.