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URBANICITY UPDATE

17 new events for 2011 published this month at our online events calendar - far and away the most comprehensive in the world - please let us know if you have an urban related event you would like listed.

513 new subscribers to City Matters in December - making 119,777 worldwide in total.

32 urban news stories published this month - keep up to date with news as it happens

NEWS FROM THE URBAN WORLD - 20 most popular stories for December

“Urbanization is a political issue” – Clos
The Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos, has observed that urbanization is one of the most political issues of our time. Dr. Clos made the observation today while receiving the credentials from the new Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa to UN-Habitat, H.E. Mr. Ndumiso Ndima Ntshinga.

Population of African cities to triple
The population of African cities is set to triple over the next 40 years, warns UN-Habitat’s new report, The State of African Cities 2010: Governance, Inequalities and Urban Land Markets which was launched yesterday evening, in Bamako, Mali, during the 3rd African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD III).

Safer cities for women
UN-HABITAT and UNIFEM have announced that they plan to launch a new programme aimed at stopping sexual harassment and violence against women and girls.

Most residents happy with their cities, survey shows
Most of the residents of the world’s urban centres are happy with their cities, a new survey by UN-HABITAT shows. However, the residents also expressed misgivings about some aspects of urban governance and put forward proposals on how these could be addressed.

Bike Lanes' Growth in New York Brings Backlash
Even as New York has pushed forward with 250 miles of new bike lanes, the city is actually removing one 2.35 mile stretch after complaints from motorists.

China Gets Serious About Sustainability
China is preparing it's '12th Five-Year Plan', its economic strategy for the next five years. The plan will be ratified in March, and includes significant additional mandates towards improved energy efficiency and reductions in carbon emissions.

Environment: Cities central to climate change response
Cities and metropolitan regional governments should play a more prominent role in defining the wider response to climate change, according to a new report from the OECD.

Greening an Urban Highway
New York City presents three options for transforming the six-lane Brooklyn-Queens Expressway by covering it with vegetation and making streetscape improvements.

Municipal Policy Toolkit for Energy Savings
Integrated Community Energy Solutions (ICES) released a resource for municipalities aimed at reducing energy consumption at the municipal level. It also offers ideas for how municipalities can get involved in energy policy discussions and development.

European ICLEI members asign Mexico City Pact at World Mayors Summit on Climate
Several European ICLEI members are among the 138 cities that have committed to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions at the World Mayors Summit on Climate, which was co-organised by ICLEI and took place in Mexico City.

A new start on urbanisation in Africa
UN-HABITAT on Monday called on experts from some 53 African countries to promote a better understanding of urbanisation and its implications on the continent.

'Horrific' New Plans for Moscow's Traffic
Long-time Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhov left office several months ago, and his successor, Segrey Sobyanin, recently announced new plans to tame the city's traffic. But Smith says Sobyanin's plan includes measures that will no doubt increase traffic and reduce the number of people using transit. Adding swaths of parking on the outskirts of the city, expanding the surface area dedicated to roads, shutting down privately-run jitneys and eliminating trolleys in the city center are all part of the scheme.

The Most Tech-Savvy Cities
Government Technology and the Center for Digital Government announced the top-ranked municipalities from their 2010 Digital Cities Survey, which quantifies the impacts of cities' IT efforts.

Britons Move Towards A New Era of "Civilized Street Design"
Designers and "movement specialists" in Great Britain are pioneering various street designs that aim to bring traffic speeds down to teens, which they claim is the speed range that allows vehicles to safely share a space with pedestrians.

Marcelo Ebrard wins World Mayor Prize
Marcelo Ebrard, Mayor of Mexico City and Chair of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change, has been awarded the 2010 World Mayor Prize.

The Most Dynamic Cities in the Post-Crash World
A new report from the Brookings Institution lists the 30 most dynamic cities in the world -- cities that are recovering from the global economic downturn with growth in employment and income.

Rio's Slums to See Massive Redesign
Ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, officials in Rio de Janeiro are taking on a massive upgrade project in the city's slums.

City leaders address urban challenges at the WHO forum
The meeting brought together people from over 90 countries in Kobe, Japan on 15-17 November. Rapid population growth has often outpaced the ability of local governments to provide basic public services and infrastructure. It was this context that participants gathered to their share experiences and recommendations for future policy.

Revenue-Hungry Cities Look to PILOTs
Budget-constrained cities are increasingly looking at PILOTs -- payments in lieu of taxes that some tax-exempt nonprofit organizations contribute to cities.

India's Cities Begin To Collapse Under The Strain Of Migrants
After decades of being a nation of rural dwellers, Indians are rapidly moving into cities in search of better jobs, but the housing infrastructure is not keeping pace.

To read the full stories and more news, please visit http://www.urbanicity.org/Site/News/default.aspx

To submit a news story to Urbanicity, contact Jeremy Flay

EVENT FEATURES

Final Call for Papers - REAL CORP 2011
May 18-20, 2011, Germany

CHANGE for STABILITY: LIFECYCLES OF CITITES AND REGIONS

CALL FOR PAPERS is open until December 23 2010 via our website www.corp.at

Papers can be submitted in English or German.
REAL CORP 2011 offers a peer-review procedure for scientific papers. Applied case studies and project reports can be submitted as “non-reviewed” papers.
Papers will be selected by a high-ranking international programme committee.

Some of the topics for which we invite you to submit your interesting contributions are:

• quality of life as benchmark of successful urban development,
• influence of “new technologies” on urban development,
• spatial aspects of innovation and transfer of knowledge and technology,
• management of rapid growth, structural change and shrinkage,
• sustainability through intelligent resource management,
• stability, safety and vulnerability of modern cities,
• anticipatory planning under economically challenging circumstances,
• together instead of side-by-side: rearrangement of cities,
• new life in old structures.

It would be great to welcome you to Essen in May 2011 for REAL CORP 2011.

Call for Abstracts - RSA International Conference 2011

Regional development and policy – challenges, choices and recipients

This conference will take place at the University of Newcastle and the Civic Centre from 17th to 20th April 2011 and will include daily plenary, workshop and special roundtable sessions.

The challenges for regional development are intensifying. Long-term factors shaping the prospects for cities and regions include the effects of climate change and new demands on energy, water and food systems. Cities also face significant demographic shifts. Rapid technological changes – captured in the notion of an emerging Knowledge Economy – will also affect cities and regions. Moreover, we are witnessing significant changes in international political economy – encapsulated by the term globalisation – but increasingly understood as incorporating the rise of new economic powers, such as the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and, above all, China). The immediate context for thinking about these questions in many parts of the world is the aftermath of a severe economic crisis and a new politics of austerity.

Local, regional, national and international actors continue to search for new policy solutions at a time when traditional forms of governance are being tested and new forms of regional politics are emerging. In many parts of the world regional disparities are growing as more economic activity becomes concentrated in global city regions, posing questions about the future of cities and regions beyond the metropolis. In these austere times, some voices question the need for regional policy itself and public policy debates increasingly focus on these dilemmas.

We welcome papers from all – academics, students and those working in policy and practice. The event is inclusive and offers networking opportunities for all in our field. The organisers welcome proposals for special sessions, themed workshops and innovative forms of networking and collaboration.

If you would like to organise or offer a session to the conference please contact Lisa Bibby-Larsen at: events@rsa-ls.ac.uk and we will assist you.
For more information please go to: http://www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk/events/2011/april-newcastle/register.pdf

Update - 2011 Asia Pacific Cities Summit

Attracting delegates from more than 100 cities across the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, Brisbane – Australia’s new world city – will welcome the world at the 2011 Asia Pacific Cities Summit (APCS) from Wednesday 6 to Friday 8 July.

One of the region’s premier international business and civic forums, the APCS is well-known for helping businesses from all over the world gain entry into the fastest growing market on the planet – the Asia Pacific region.

Under the broad theme ‘The Business of Cities’, world-renowned speakers will focus on the following sub-streams:

- the business of green cities
- the business of smart and connected cities
- the business of growing cities

A strategic business matching program will encourage relationships, partnering and trade and investment among Summit delegates, sponsors, exhibitors, clients, business representatives and government agencies.

The Summit’s interactive hub will be Trade Market Square, which will showcase more than 50 global businesses. This prime networking arena for delegates and exhibitors will be the backdrop to the business matching program.

For more information or to register as a participant, exhibitor or delegate, visit www.apcsummit.org or contact the Summit organisers on +61 7 3858 5582 or visit info@apcsummit.org

Announcement - International Greenbelts Conference

POLICYMAKERS AND PRACTITIONERS FROM FOUR CONTINENTS CONVERGE
MARCH 2011 INTERNATIONAL GREENBELTS CONFERENCE IN TORONTO, CANADA

Addressing key environmental, farming, and social issues, the Global Greenbelts Conference --- the first of its kind in the world --- mixes panel discussions and visits to Ontario’s Greenbelt to highlight the potential of Greenbelts to help achieve food security, protect valuable ecosystems, and conserve biodiversity.

“Greenbelts around the world have their unique characteristics”, notes Burkhard Mausberg, President of Ontario’s Greenbelt Foundation. “For example, the Iron Curtain Greenbelt once divided Germany but now unites it. As well, Copenhagen’s iconic Finger Plan with urban fingers and green wedges extending from the core of the city, has guided its growth for almost 60 years,” says Mausberg

“Over 70 years of experience in London has shown that greenbelts become more valuable over time as a green lung for a global city,” says Peter Waine, Chair, Campaign to Protect Rural England.

The Conference will hear speakers from nine countries across the globe.

Rodrigo Victor, head of the Forest Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil, welcomes the Conference as a “timely initiative to bring together successful experiences from around the world.”

Visit www.globalgreenbeltsconference.ca to register

Register Now – 5th Annual City Development
24th & 25th February 2011
New World Hotel Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The 5th Annual City Development conference will be a one-stop platform that will encapsulate cutting-edge issues, strategic solutions, investment strategies, risk and return assessments and pertinent case studies in City
Development.

A vision of this scale can only be achieved by operationalising your ideas and experiences into action; so whether you are a driver or enabler towards City Development efforts and projects, you will find this highly anticipated 5th Annual City Development conference an excellent platform to network, exchange ideas, seek business opportunities and to tap into the experience of key industry leaders.
Don’t miss this opportunity to meet the line up of key international speakers and to network with a very niche and targeted group of delegates from across the world.

Follow your own agenda with a choice of six streams over 2 days:

Day One

Stream One: Urban Planning and Sustainable Development

Stream Two: Water, Drainage and Waste Management

Stream Three: City Investments

Day Two

Stream One: Transportation Infrastructure

Stream Two: Climate Change and Urban Risk Management

Stream Three: Real Estate Management and Development

Download the full event brochure, programme and registration form here

New Deadlines Announced – Urban Data Management Symposium 2011
September 28-30 2011 Delft, The Netherlands

The Urban Data Management Society has organised international symposia at various locations throughout Europe since 1971, and UDMS 2011 will mark its 40th anniversary.

For this anniversary the Board of UDMS has decided to hold the conference in Delft, The Netherlands, and to call attention to the 40 years of UDMS, certain that this is an experience not to be found elsewhere and a valuable basis on which to form planning for the future. Consequently the general theme chosen of UDMS 2011 is: UDMS at 40 years: making contributions to the future

UDMS 2011 will include, for the first time, dynamic Discussion Working Sessions in which academics, representatives from local authorities and professionals will discuss relevant topics and problems for which solutions are required. We therefore would like to send a special invitation to representatives from the public administrations and to professionals.

New Deadlines for Paper Submissions

Full details on the submission of Papers are available at:
http://www.udms.net/cms/delft-2011/pub_newaccount-submission.html

Register Now - Global City 2011
15-17 March 2011, Abu Dhabi

Registration is now open for Global City 2011 – the only international forum where public and private leaders meet to exchange best practice and share sustainable urban strategies.

Hosted by the Abu Dhabi Government and taking place 15-17 March 2011 at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, Global City in its 5th edition will focus on the integral role of values and identity in shaping successful, sustainable cities.

Highlights of GC11 include:
Opening keynote by Dr Jacques Attali on Cities and Economic Growth

The Leaders’ Panel – Mayors and CEOs from world cities discuss what it means to build a city identity

Masterclasses: Practical, interactive sessions with expert advisors on the role of branding and culture for city growth and prosperity – find your city’s DNA!

Case studies: Using events to bring business to the city / Sustainable business for cities

Site Visits to the most innovative and cutting edge projects in the United Arab Emirates! See for yourself what everyone is talking about!

Book your seat among the world’s city leaders at a special early bird rate www.globalcityforum.ae

Call for Proposals - Ecocity World Summit 2011

We invite you to attend Ecocity World Summit 2011, and to submit your proposals.

The deadline for Proposal Submission is January 31, 2011.

This important international conference will gather professionals, academics, and decision-makers who are interested in discussing the major issues related to sustainable urban development. More than 1,500 participants are expected from around the world. The event will be held at the city’s convention centre, (Palais des congrès de Montréal) from August 22 to 26, 2011.

Ecocity World Summit 2011 will be a great opportunity to showcase research projects and achievements that will help governments, researchers, and professionals answer the challenges they are facing in the search for solutions that contribute to a healthier and more sustainable world.

The overarching theme of the conference is “People. Ecology. Urbanity. Moving Towards Ecocities.” This international event will build on work of past Ecocity World Summits while adding new conference topics, participatory methods, and projects that will last beyond the life of the conference. Detailed conference content and design are under development in collaboration with international partners, while ensuring that the particular urban ecological expertise of Montréal is highlighted.

Submit your proposal for the 2011 Montreal Ecocity World Summit now:
http://www.ecocity2011.com/appel-de-communications/default_e.asp

Call to Register - Counter Terror Expo 2011

Counter Terror Expo is the annual professional event delivering both focus and clarity to the complex and multifaceted task of protecting people and assets from those with the intent and determination to strike out.

The event brings the world's leading experts in the field from within government, the armed forces, security services, law enforcement and academia, together with industrialists at the cutting edge in developing the tools necessary to combat the scourge of terrorism. Counter Terror Expo comprises a centrepiece conference programme, showcase exhibition and extensive programme of highly specialised workshops, which reflect the ever changing dynamics of the counter-terrorism world.

This critically acclaimed event delivers a vital forum for debate and plays a key role at the epicentre of the development of future counter-terrorism strategy.

Counter Terror Expo will be held next in the Grand Hall of the Olympia Exhibition & Conference Centre in London, 19-20 April, 2011.

More info at: http://www.counterterrorexpo.com/

Victoria to Host FCM Annual Sustainability Conference

For the first time since its inception, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Sustainable Communities Conference and Trade Show will be held outside of Ottawa. The City of Victoria (British Columbia, Canada) was chosen to welcome delegates to Canada’s premier municipal sustainability event February 8 to 10, 2011.

The 2011 Conference is expected to attract more than 500 delegates from all parts of Canada. It offers municipal leaders and sustainability practitioners a unique learning and networking experience considered invaluable by past participants.

Keynote speakers include:

• Gil Penalosa, executive director of 8-80 Cities, on ways to plan sustainable transportation for growth;

• Sadhu Johnston, deputy city manager of the City of Vancouver, on the role of public and private partner engagement in helping Vancouver to become one of Canada’s greenest cities by 2020;

• Amelia Shaw, manager of public consultation and government programs at TransLink, on TransLink’s approach to community engagement, including market research, public consultation and social media strategies;

• Mark Anielski, economist and author of The Economics of Happiness: Building Genuine Wealth, on how to measure wealth in a way that accounts for happiness, quality of life and sustainable development.

Details on the Conference are available at fcm.ca/scc.

Conference Announcement - Branding Cities 2011

The conference aims at enriching the dialogue between academics, practitioners and city representatives who often approach very similar issues from different angles. It explicitly adopts an interdisciplinary and international perspective aiming to address the theme in its full complexity. The conference will be held in the city of Bogotá, Colombia between Thursday 20th and Saturday 22nd January, 2011.

The conference programme will include keynote lectures, paper sessions and panel discussions. Delegates will have the opportunity to follow a technical tour of various interesting sites in the city demonstrating a range of relevant issues. A social programme will also be devised to foster interaction and networking opportunities.

Themes of the conference:

• Theoretical and methodological issues of place branding/marketing
• Conceptualization of place identity
• Involving local communities in place branding/marketing
• Place branding/marketing as a tool of urban and regional development
• Experiential Place Branding
• Assessment methods: how to measure place branding/marketing success
• Place branding and management of tourism destinations
  
• Branding the cultural and creative city
• Branding the green city
• International networks and place branding
• Place Branding through storytelling
  

Full Programme

Register now to to be part of the discussion about Branding Cities: the search for place identity

Full conference website: http://www.inpolis.de/inpolis-projektdetail_35_2te-Place-Branding-Konferenz_de.html

To place a conference feature in City Matters, please contact Jeremy Flay

EVENTS CALENDAR

January

International Perspective on Water Resources & the Environment

Sustainability Conference 2011

Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities

World Future Energy Summit

Branding Cities

Municipalika 2011

Saudi Urban Transportation Summit

e-Gov World 2011

International Winter Conference on Environmental Innovations and Sustainability

More January Events

February

New Partners for Smart Growth

Healthy Cities - an Asian perspective

Leading Cities to a Vibrant Economic Future: The Role of the Elected Official

Sustainable Urbanization: a resilient future

The City: 2nd International Conference -- Culture, Society, Technology

Local Climate Solutions for Africa Congress

Urban Transport World Australia

Enabling Smart City Frameworks

Affordable Housing Development Asia

5th Conference of the International Forum on Urbanism

5th Annual City Development

Green Cities 2011

GCD eBFC Conference

European Cities of Tomorrow. Amsterdam: Just City?

2nd International Urban Mental Health Conference

More February Events

March

Sister Cities International Conference 2011

SubTropical Cities 2011

1st Global Conference Urban Popcultures

3rd Annual Sustainable Urban Landscape Conference

Decentralisation and Urban Transformation in Asia

4th Conference on Global Preparedness

Reclaiming the City: Building a Just and Sustainable Future

International Greenbelts Conference

2nd Conference on Urban and Regional Planning

Velo-city 2011

Metropolis 2011

ECOWEEK 2011 Urban Communities and Green Architecture

More March Events

For a full listing of forthcoming conferences, visit: Urbanicity Events

To receive updates for this calendar, please register here