This event brought together academics and practitioners to discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by cities that are trying to use their ‘difficult heritage’ – the memories, heritage and monuments to violent and traumatic events in the past – to build a more peaceful future. Drawing on the experiences of two cities whose identities have long been bound up with their wartime experiences – Coventry and Nanjing – this symposium will consider questions such as “what is a city of peace?”, “how can ‘difficult heritage’ and memories of violence support peacebuilding?” and “how can we creatively engage with this heritage?”