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| Welcome to the May 2009 edition of City Matters, brought to you by Urbanicity in partnership with UN Habitat Best Practices and Local Leadership.
Conference Round-up Forward City Matters to a friend or colleague here or Sign up to receive City Matters here . |
| Urbanicity News |
Launch of the Cities Exchange confirmed- Urbanicity will launch the Cities Exchange on June 10 2009 - a web based network where towns, cities and villages all over the world can post case studies of local sustainability practices and initiatives - a unique facility for knowledge sharing and inter-city communication. For more information, contact Jeremy Flay 2009 Events Calendar updated- recently updated with 27 new events added - to see these and all events on the world's most comprehensive events calendar, go here. 2010 Events Calendar goes live- the Urbanicity 2010 events calendar is live now- to list an event please send details to Alistair Campbell Write an article for Urbanicity - Urbanicity is currently renewing its library of articles about urban issues, and invites city leaders, researchers, educators and other urban stakeholders to contribute an article - case studies, theoretical analyses etc are welcome. Articles are hosted at the Urbanicity site and publicised in City Matters which has over 106,000 subscribers worldwide. If you would like to submit an article for publication, please send details to Kate More (k.more@urbanicity.org) |
| Latest News Headlines | |
Full stories can be seen at Urbanicity News Obama Administration to host World Habitat Day in Washington The Obama Administration will co-host with UN-HABITAT the global celebrations of World Habitat Day in Washington, D.C. on 5 October 2009. Stockholm named Intelligent Community 2009 Seeking best local response for tackling climate change China’s grand plans for eco cities lie abandoned ICLEI Oceania Develops Adaptive and Resilient Communities Program Living Streets call for every day to be a traffic free day in London's West End 20 years of URBAN experience Dublin to get directly-elected mayor in 2010 European Development Days 2009 - date change Copenhagen Summit: Local governments prepare post-Kyoto climate deal Report Shows Renewables Staying Strong Light Rail Expands in Toronto A glittering ceremony for Dubai award winners Small Towns Work to Keep Young Population Using the Olympics to promote a better urban future A New Suburb Without Cars Understanding the Scale of Urban Environmental Problems UN-HABITAT officials brief British legislators Giovanni Di Stasi awarded 2009 Maximilian Prize Chinese Municipal Government undergoes radical restructuring The city of Ghent becomes “vegetarian” India call for local government participation New Handbook Promotes Cycling and Ecomobility A Special Message from the Secretary General Alarm at access to new buildings for the disabled Supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship in cities European Parliament endorses EUROCITIES-NLAO project Your town or region: an example of eGovernment ? European elections: 60 reasons to vote A new office in Iran European ranking: How do cities and regions communicate? Call for best practices in Youth Policies and Programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean City of Buenos Aires adopts decree to combat climate change Ministers hail UN-HABITAT Lake Victoria project Water Project of the Year Local power for climate change results
To submit a news story to Urbanicity, contact Jeremy Flay . To read the full stories and more news, please visit http://www.urbanicity.org/Site/News/default.aspx
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June Cities and energy transitions: past, present, future Local Government Summit on Climate Change Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities City Futures in a Globalising World New Towns for the 21st Century World Investment Conference 2009:Investing in Global Cities for Europe's rebound 4th International Fit to Drive Congress Major Cities of Europe Conference Inter American Conference of Mayors and Local Authorities Integrating Sustainability in Local Government Stavanger Innovation Summit- Transforming City Regions Green Building and Sustainable Cities Expo World Conference on Disaster Management Singapore International Water Week Regions and Cities implementing Sustainable Energy Strategies 7th International Conference on Urban Climate
Transforming and Revitalising Downtown Summit Shrinking Cities: Growing Communities MOVE TOGETHER launching conference 2009 Urban Data Management Symposium Towards a Clean and Sustainable Mobility 3rd Road Safety PIN Conference South African Cities Conference
July 2009 Habitat Business Forum - Innovative Cities Multilayered Cities and Urban Systems From Airport City to Airport Region? International Andean Conference on Sustainable Urban Mobility Intelligent Cities in a Global World Retail Principles for New Urban Communities
August 2009 2009 National Conference on Community Preparedness Local Government Technology Solutions Conference 10th Asian Urbanization Conference Safe Routes to School Conference Spatially Enabled Government 09 Realising the Dream Conference
For a full listing of forthcoming conferences, visit: Urbanicity Events
To receive updates for this calendar, please register here |
| Conference Features |
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Call for Abstracts – International Conference on Sustainable Cities First International Conference on Sustainable Cities is a unique event that will bring together researchers, government authorities, policy makers, stakeholders, NGO’s and students in an event specially designed to expose and generate ideas on how to drive our cities towards sustainability.
The challenge for the next few decades is learning how to exploit the possibilities urbanization offers. This conference will provide a forum that will allow specialists in urban planning, energy, environment, governance, economics and society to present their ideas and generate opportunities for sharing experiences, views and opinions on how to move towards sustainability. The call for papers is now open at: http://www.sustainablecitiesweb.org/ until 26th June. First Announcement and Call for Abstracts – City Street Conference 2009 “City Street” conference provides a platform for multi-disciplinary interaction and discussion which aims at projecting new perspectives and initiating creative prospects about the city. The 20th -21st centuries ideologies and technologies, the post-industrial societies, the postmodern cultures, the deconstructivist urbanism and architecture, the multi- media art and graphics, and the cybernetics, all form now the themes in which the city’s street is to be (re)considered. The “City Street” conference invites international researchers, architects, designers (graphic, interior, media) urbanists, artists, photographers, film makers, geographers, anthropologists, philosophers, and thinkers to present full papers, posters, workshops and projects/exhibitions. The conference website (http://www.ndu.edu.lb/CityStreet/ ) has full details on conference themes, programme etc, and online registration will be available shortly. In the meantime, the Call for Abstracts is still open and will close end of June - http://www.ndu.edu.lb/CityStreet/papers.htm Registration Now Open - 2009 World Water Week in Stockholm "Responding to Global Change- Accessing Water for the common good" The World Water Week in Stockholm is where global leaders, business innovators, government decision makers, and researchers convene to address the full scope of the planet's urgent water-related challenges.
Join us for a week of provocative seminars and sessions, highlighted by the field's most prestigious awards...in one of the world's most beautiful cities. The 2009 World Water Week in Stockholm
Last call to Register - World Investment Conference 2009 City development has become one of the greatest human challenges worldwide and offers a path beyond the present crisis to economic growth, innovative social solutions, and sustainable development... International investors have turned resolutely towards big cities. Industrial companies, high-growth SMEs and financial investors find there the sources of innovation and growth: In 2030, according to forecasts, 60-80 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Today, cities already produce 75 per cent of global added-value and nine innovations in ten. City development has become one of the greatest human challenges worldwide and offers a path beyond the present crisis to economic growth, innovative social solutions, and sustainable development. Europe has to respond to this global challenge in order to develop the international attractiveness of its cities and make sure they remain the hot spots for business, culture and creativity. To best address these topics, the 2009 WIC is changing, growing and renewing: International: the 2009 WIC is turning more international than ever, with speakers and participants from more than 50 countries The 2009 WIC is a 2-day event, with 3 plenary sessions and 7 workshops, attended by 1,000 global business leaders, innovative enterprises, architects, sociologists, policy makers, institutions and artists addressing the following strategic issues:
The 2009 WIC will also host the exhibition “Picturing the city of our future” along themes including “create the city”, ”technicities” and “shoot the city”. Further details at: http://www.labaulewic.org
Final call to Register - Fifth Urban Research Symposium: "Cities and Climate Change: Responding to an Urgent Agenda" The topic for the 5th Urban Research Symposium is Cities and Climate Change: Responding to the Urgent Agenda. At a time when climate change is a major priority for the international community, this Symposium aims at pushing forward the research agenda on climate change from a city’s perspective. Specifically, the main questions will be structured around the impacts of city and urban growth on climate change; measuring and anticipating the consequences of climate change on urban quality of life, city assets, and local and national economies; and assessing alternatives to increase the resilience of cities and related costs and incentives required for successful implementation. The detailed program is now available, as well as the new simplified program. The Symposium will feature 8 teams of commissioned researchers, 8 plenary sessions, 10 invited sessions, about 150 papers in 33 parallel sessions, 4 side events (on June 27 and July 1st), posters and an exhibition area. The program for the side event “Climate and Mediterranean Cities” and "Launch: Eco2 Cities" is now available. A separate registration is required. Initial data is now available on the speakers and the attendance of the Symposium.
More than 500 proposals, coming from about 80 countries, were received for the call for papers. Thank you to all the authors and co-authors. The list of the selected papers is available in the Program section. Visit the symposium website at: http://www.urs2009.net/
Final call to Register - Cities for Mobility 2009 14-16 June, Stuttgart, Germany The City of Stuttgart has the great pleasure to announce the World Congress 2009 of the global network “Cities for Mobility” titled “Socially inclusive mobility – Access for all”. The event will take place in the city of Stuttgart from June 14 to 16, 2009. The main goal of the event is to provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge and best practices as well as to facilitate the initiation and development of innovative joint projects. The World Congress 2009 is addressed to local governments (mayors, councilors, traffic experts) as well as representatives from private sector, research and civil society. The Congress will have three main topics that will be deepened in three workshops:
Six reasons why you should attend
Online registration is available from at www.cities-for-mobility.org
Event Update - WEFTEC 09 October 10-14, USA Attendees can find all WEFTEC.09 program details in the Online Planner. With 122 technical sessions, 31 workshops, nine facility tours, and the world’s largest water quality exhibition, you get multiple educational opportunities in one conference. Please visit http://weftec2009.expoplanner.com to search by keyword, day, time, and topic for technical sessions, workshops, facility tours, meetings, and events. WEF continues to work aggressively to ensure that those wishing to participate in WEFTEC can still do so despite the current economy. We are continuing our very successful Utility Partnership Program, the only program of its kind, which allows for utilities to send the maximum number of employees to WEFTEC through discounted pricing packages. Please e-mail utilitypartnership@wef.org for more information.
Registration Now Open - ISOCARP 09; Low Carbon Cities Over half of the world’s population now lives within cities. Because they concentrate people and activities, they place a particular burden upon the world’s resources. Thus, in terms of ecological footprints, the extent to which places draw from beyond their own boundaries to sustain current levels of consumption and waste discharge, London is thought to have a footprint almost 300 times its geographical area. Thus, cities are crucial in the search for sustainability and, if we are to put the world on a lower carbon path, action based upon the cities will form a major part of the solution. The 45th Congress explores the role of planning, and of all those involved in the planning and development process, in the drive to achieve less resource intensive, low carbon cities. The theme marks a logical progression from that of last year’s event which addressed the reality and consequences of urban sprawl. In sustainability terms those unrestrained, land consuming patterns of growth are the opposite of what we need to achieve and, encouragingly, speakers at that Congress were able to point to numerous examples of schemes where planning has been able to shape cities that are more respectful of the environment in its widest sense. Conference website: http://www.2009.isocarp.org
Registration Now Open - 2009 Global Mayors Forum The Global Mayors Forum is a major international event for senior local government and urban development stakeholders The First Global Mayors Forum, themed "High Growth Cities: Meeting the Challenges for Sustainability", will take place in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China on 15-18 September 2009. A total of 1,000 guests are expected from all over the world, including outstanding mayors, city administrators, leaders from the United Nations and international organisations, and experts on urban development. The 2009 Global Mayors Forum will feature a number of activities, including a Plenary Session, Parallel Sessions, Roundtable Sessions and Exhibition Fair. The Forum is supported by a wide range of leading international organisations including UNEP, UN Habitat, UCLG ASPAC and many more: it will be one of the highlight events of 2009. A diverse and fascinating programme examining the key issues and potential solutions facing the future of cities. Highlighted sessions include:
Full programme details and registration are available at: http://www.g-mforum.org
Registrations Open - Asia Pacific Cities Summit Registrations are now open for the 2009 Asia Pacific Cities Summit (APCS) to be held in Incheon, Korea from 15-17 September. The APCS is recognised as the premier government and business networking forum for the region focussing on generating business growth, trade, investment and economic outcomes between cities in the Asia Pacific. Held biennially since 1996, APCS is the signature international event of Brisbane City Council in Australia. Incheon is a rapidly consolidating hub for North East Asia with outstanding port and airport facilities. With a theme of ‘Creative Urban Development’, the Summit features speakers such as urban studies theorist Richard Florida and French economist and scholar, Jacques Attali. Cities are increasingly recognised as key drivers of economic growth and prosperity. The challenge of creating innovative, sustainable and cohesive communities will be a core focus of APCS. The Summit will feature streams for mayors, business leaders and young professionals. Further information is at www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/apcs
Register Now – Singapore International Water Week 2009 Come June this year, the global movers and shakers of the water industry will gather in Singapore for the second Singapore International Water Week. Close to 10,000 delegates and trade visitors are expected at the event to be held at Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 22 to 26 June. Of these, 70% are expected to be overseas attendees. This year’s theme has been expanded with a key focus on infrastructure and technologies across its flagship programmes of the Water Leaders Summit, Water Convention, Water Expo and Business Forums. In line with the theme, the 7th Ministers’ Forum on Infrastructure Development in the Asia Pacific Region, the International Water Association’s 6th Leading-Edge Technology (LET) Conference and the official opening of the Changi Water Reclamation Plant will be held alongside the Water Week. Mr Khoo Teng Chye, Chief Executive of PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, and Executive Director of Environment and Water Industry Development Council, said: “With the current challenging economic times, the search for sustainable and cost-effective water management solutions becomes even more urgent. Infrastructure and technology development will be vital, not only to maximise engineering efficiency and investment returns, but to also create jobs. Themed “Sustainable Cities – Infrastructure and Technologies For Water”, Singapore International Water Week 2009 will enable policy makers, industry players, experts and practitioners to tap on a global reservoir of refreshing perspectives and economically-viable solutions.” For more information, log on to www.siww.com.sg
Conference Feature – Megacities: Risk, Vulnerability and Sustainable Development Megacities worldwide are an outstanding feature of urbanization and are culprits and victims of dramatic global change processes at the same time. They do not only involve unprecedented population growth and density, but also produce a complex variety of simultaneous and interacting processes and functions, for example the tremendous consumption of resources, the production of waste and pollution or social integration/disintegration. They turn the urban habitat into both a space of risk and a space of opportunity with consequences on the prospects for achieving urban sustainability.
Full conference information is available at: http://www.megacity-conference2009.ufz.de/
Share your transport solutions - European Transport Conference 2009 The European Transport Conference 2009 programme will be announced shortly. Streams will cover: There will also be lots of opportunity for networking and socializing with this year’s social agenda including dinner at the Den Hartogh Ford Museum, sports competitions, receptions and cycle trips. Register your interest now! Christine Carr, Conference Manager, Association of European Transport, 1 Vernon Mews, Vernon Street, London W14 0RL, UK Tel: +44 20 7348 1971 Fax: +44 20 7348 1989 e-mail: christinec@aetransport.org web-site: www.aetransport.org See you at the European Transport Conference 2009! Special offers available:
To place a conference feature in City Matters, please contact Alistair Campbell |
| Conference Round-up |
Call for abstracts: 8th International Conference on Urban Health (ICUH) Conference: local governance in Central and Eastern European countries Cities against Racism: Extending the European Coalition to Eastern Europe CommunityMatters Conference Postponed The benefits of space in shaping regional energy strategies
To submit conference news, please contact Alistair Campbell |
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