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City Matters Bulletin

September 2007

Welcome to the September edition of City Matters, brought to you by Urbanicity in partnership with UN Habitat Best Practices and Local Leadership.

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New Articles at Urbanicity

Economic valuation of urban greenery
Dr Pradeep Chaudhry

Latest News Summaries

Full stories can be seen at Urbanicity News

New Website ErasmusPC - Open Source Network for Culture & Cities
In July 2007 the brand new website of ErasmusPC was launched. ErasmusPC is the International Network for Culture and Cities. Its motto is “searching for the soul of the city”.

Healthy Cities: Urban Environmental Solutions
The White House Council on Environmental Quality advises the Clinton-Gore administration in crafting a balance between economic growth and environmental protection to achieve sustainability in U.S. communities.

Why is the urban population increasing so fast?
The rapid growth of urban areas is the result of two factors: natural increase in population (excess of births over deaths), and migration to urban areas.

Urban poor worse off than rural poor - but good policies can reduce slums
A report by UN-Habitat with additional reporting by Lisa Schlein (VoA) and Sven Krüger (City Mayors). The world’s urban poor are worse off than their rural relatives, According to a report by UN-Habitat, the UN’s human settlement programme, it is a myth that urban populations are healthier, more literate or more prosperous than people living in the countryside.

Cities in the Knowledge Economy: New Governance Challenges - Final report
The report argues that cities must be recognised as key players in the knowledge economy, encouraging entrepreneurship and avoiding social polarisation.

Anders Knape: ''We are witnessing the growing importance of City Diplomacy''
''Local authorities have a crucial role to play in decentralised cooperation projects which can make a significant contribution towards a peaceful development,''.

500 municipalities and regions sign CEMR charter for equality of women and men
500 European municipalities, cities and regions have now signed the charter for equality of women and men in local life, launched by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), in May 2006.

IRIN In-Depth Reports
IRIN has been examining the humanitarian dimensions of urbanisation, and today launches a special In-Depth package of reports, photos and video from around the world on the issue.

UN HABITAT announces the 2007 Scroll of Honour Award Winners
As part of the celebrations to mark this year’s World Habitat Day, UN-HABITAT Thursday announced the list of individuals and institutions it was honouring with the Habitat Scroll of Honour award for their commitment to promotion of human settlements.

Global preparations in top gear for World Habitat Day fete
Preparations are underway in nearly all countries globally to mark this year’s World Habitat Day. Chosen by the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the various aspects of human settlements all over the world, this event marked on the first Monday of October each year has become a landmark event where countries, organizations and the United Nations join hands to deliberate on human settlement issues.

Apply for the Communications for Sustainable Development Award
The COM+ Communications for Sustainable Development Award recognizes excellence in the field of communications, demonstrated through clear impacts and real changes in support of sustainable development.

Brazilian cities promoting solar energy
Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre (Brazil) are actively promoting solar energy. Belo Horizonte - The City Council of Belo Horizonte has unanimously approved two laws that encourages the use of solar energy.

Chicago may introduce Paris-style bike scheme
On a visit to Paris, Chicago mayor Richard Daley said that his city might soon introduce a bike-hire scheme similar to Vélib (Vélo Libre), which was introduced in the French capital in June 2007.

Robert Redford blasts Bush
Robert Redford assembled more than 40 US and Canadian mayors at his Sundance resort in Utah for the third Sundance Summit on climate change this week.

Delanoë riding on acclaim for Velib's transformation of Paris
The transformation of Paris' city centre through the bike hire scheme known as Vélib has led to a massive increase in support for the city's socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoë, according to the Libération newspaper.

Traffic lights and signs: a useful system?
Imagine a town with no road signs, pedestrian paths and traffic lights. This utopia has become a reality in several cities around Europe. In Bohmte, a German town in Lower Saxony, all traffic lights and stop signs have been removed from the centre.

500 municipalities and regions sign CEMR charter for equality of women and men
500 European municipalities, cities and regions have now signed the charter for equality of women and men in local life, launched by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), in May 2006.

Linking Local Actors: a website to promote employment and economic development
The European Commission's website "Linking Local Actors" helps find examples of best practices on local employment, find the most partners for exchanges of information, and set up joint projects to develop local employment.
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To read the full stories and more news, please visit www.urbanicity.org/news.asp

The first publication of the 2008 Urbanicity Events Calendar is now online at:
www.urbanicity.org/08calendar.htm

To receive updates for this calendar, please register here

Conference Calendar

October

2007 United Cities and Local Governments Congress

International Metropolis Conference

Toronto Walk 21

European Transport Conference 2007

International Conference on Virtual

City and Territory

WaterfrontExpo 2007

A Safe City is a Just City

The State of Safety in World Cities

International Conference on Integrated Urban Regeneration

Climate Change and Urban Design

Improving Community Safety 2007

ICMA 2007

International Public Transport Conference

Striking a Balance on Busy Urban Streets

November

Culture and the City

2007 Conference on Urban Disaster Reduction

Democracies Cities and Drugs

Safe Routes to School

Sustainable Communities 07

Permacity International Conference

Transport, Mobility and Regional Development

Municipal Infrastructure

Cross Border Territories

NEW BUSTRIP Final Conference

NEW Broadband Cities

NEW UM/ULI Real Estate Forum

NEW Housing in the Public Sector

NEW Emergency Preparedness 2007

December

Home, City, Neighbourhood 2007

World Forum on Sustainable Mobility

Dynamic Cities Need Women

Built Environment in Developing Countries

For a full listing of forthcoming conferences, visit: www.urbanicity.org/events.asp

Conference News

Register Now – World Meeting for Participatory Democracy
10,11,12 December in France (Lyon)

The World Meeting on the theme “Participatory democracy from the local to the global level : for which development ?” sets out to highlight the infinite variety of experiences in participatory democracy throughout the world and discuss development issues. Using the great diversity of experiences the world over, the idea is to start mapping out areas of convergence, a common meaning to all these experiences that are developing and taking root.
The event is designed for citizens, young people, elected representatives, researchers, members of associations, unions or local communities and will enable participants to exchange ideas and interact on participatory democracy and development issues.
The full programme and registration are live at the conference website: http://www.democracy2007.rhonealpes.fr/?lang=en

Register Now – European Transport Conference
17-19 October, The Netherlands

Key Plenary Sessions:

Transport Policy in the Netherlands, by a speaker from the Ministry of Transport and Paul Nouwen, Chairman of the Advisory Committee to the Dutch Minister of Transport on Road Pricing
Planning Infrastructure Projects, by Carl Koopmans from KIM, the new Dutch institute for Mobility Issues
Activity based models, by Moshe Ben-Akiva from MIT, US
Sustainability issues, by Gary Lawrence, Arup, US and Jeff Kenworthy, Murdoch University, Australia.
Transport Economics: Impacts on Research and Policy, by Prof. Kenneth A Small, Department of Economics University of California, Irvine, US

Full information and registration at: www.aetransport.org

Register Now - WEFTEC®.07 – The Water Quality Event
80th Annual Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference
San Diego Convention Center
San Diego, California USA
Conference: 13-17 October 2007
Workshops: 13 – 14 October 2007
Exhibition: 15-17 October 2007

Register today and pick up your badge onsite at the San Diego Convention Center. Online registration is open throughout WEFTEC.
WEFTEC.07, the largest annual water quality technical exhibition in the world, is the place to do business, see the latest technology, and enhance your professional knowledge. Choose from 119 technical sessions, 29 workshops, 8 facility tours, and visit over 1000 exhibiting companies.
Water Quality Technical Program Topic Areas Include:
• Collection Systems
• Facility Operations Including Lab Practices
• GIS & Computer Applications, Instrumentation & Automation
• Industrial Issues & Treatment Technology
• Innovative Technology Forum
• Leading Edge Research
• Management of Odors & Air Emissions/Disinfection
• Municipal Wastewater Treatment Process
• Residuals & Biosolids Management
• Small Community & Natural Treatment Systems/Groundwater
• Stormwater Management
• Surface Water Quality & Ecology
• Utility Management
• Water Reclamation & Reuse
• …and More!
For more information on WEFTEC.07, please visit www.weftec.org

Call for Papers – International Conference on Intelligent Public Transport Systems

Intertraffic Amsterdam proudly presents the opportunity to submit abstracts for academic and technical paper presentations and demonstrations for the conference on IPTS (Intelligent Public Transport Systems) from 2 to 3 April 2008 as innovative part of Intertraffic Amsterdam 2008 (1 – 4 April 2008).

With the topic “The Awareness of Passenger’s Needs and Desires & Multi Modal Mobility”, the IPTS Conference will bring together representatives of governments, related organisations and public transport operators, as well as industry experts from many countries in the world, providing a platform to exchange ideas on IPTS and discuss strategies and initiatives in this field with a special focus on the Passenger Experience.
You are invited to submit an abstract of 250 words for the IPTS Conference. Submission started on 25 August 2007 and ends on 15 October 2007.
Download your own copy of the paper submission guidelines here:

Please visit www.iptseurope.com for more information on the event and paper submission.

Taking place on the 8th and 9th October at the University of Pennsylvania, this conference will examine how the new urban leaders- heads of universities, medical complexes, arts and culture institutions, churches, stadiums, public utilities and some large corporations along with elected officials are shaping development in our cities and neighborhoods. Scholars and practitioners will review the latest information on the planning, finance, design, programming and partnerships of today’s anchors.
Anchor institutions, including universities, medical complexes, arts and culture institutions, stadiums, public utilities and some large corporations, are critical to the economic health and civic pride to their home cities and regions due to their resources, especially high levels of employment and purchasing power. Their significant location-based real estate investments and/or clientele anchor them in place, making their departure unlikely or difficult. As a class and singly, they play central roles in their communities.
Featured speakers include Jay Cross, President, New York Jets, Bishop Joseph P. McFadden, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Judith Rodin, President, Rockefeller Foundation. Registration is now open and can be found along with the programme and speaker list at: http://www.upenn.edu/penniur/anchors

Register Now - Rail~Volution 2007
October 31-November 3, 2007, Miami Beach, Florida

This year Rail~Volution stands at a crossroads. We are on the precipice of tremendous change – both locally and globally – as the world grapples with important issues that affect livability in cities, towns and regions of all sizes and shapes. Rail~Volution 2007 is our 13th annual conference and provides a unique opportunity for innovative minds to develop solutions for these issues. Attendees at Rail~Volution cross a broad spectrum of disciplines – including elected officials, developers, advocates, urban planners, transportation experts, financiers, citizen groups, architects and many others.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT RAIL~VOLUTION 2007
Several key themes will be discussed in depth at Rail~Volution 2007. They include:
• Reauthorization has a different meaning than before, as the federal Highway Trust Fund faces potential negative balances in 2009.
• Creative and effective financing continues to be a challenge for every project, whether it is public, private or a combination.
• Collaborative partnerships with the development community is a growing component of any livability strategy.
• Communities around the world are realizing that they exist within a broader global context in which livability issues cross geographic boundaries.

You should attend the conference if you:
• Want to help your community implement innovative approaches to transit and other alternative forms of transportation.
• Are an elected official and are keenly interested in creating new opportunities for your community.
• Work in the private sector and want to meet first hand with potential new clients.
• Work in the public sector and want to take the next step forward in shaping changes.
• Want to talk and brainstorm with developers who are champions of on-the-ground projects that improve their community.

Visit our website for more information and to register for Rail~Volution 2007- www.railvolution.com

City Matters Bulletin is published monthly by Urbanicity Ltd 72 Fairview Crescent, Waiheke, New Zealand in conjuction with UN Habitat Best Practices and Local Leadership

Tel: Intl 64 9 3725115 Email: a.campbell@urbanicity.org Web: www.urbanicity.org