August 26, 2004

CONTACT: Anne Brooks Ranallo, (312) 355-2523, aranallo@uic.edu

Sustainability is Buzz at UIC Global 'City Futures' Conference

Trends in economics and lifestyles cause some cities to boom, but long-term livability requires sustainable housing, stable jobs, environmental controls and strong local democracy.

That's what 250 planners, academics and government officials from 36 countries concluded at the international "City Futures" conference last month hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs.

Participants addressed such issues as affordable housing, crime prevention, and brownfield redevelopment in 160 presented papers, many available at www.uic.edu/cuppa/cityfutures.

UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, in one of two keynote speeches, referred to the UK's Sustainable Communities Plan, which calls for cities that "make effective use of natural resources and promote social cohesion and prosperity" not only for current residents, but for future generations.

He stressed the need to develop high-density neighborhoods, build on inner-city brownfields instead of outer-edge greenfields, and curb real-estate cost spirals that price out city workers, leading to bad public services.

Prescott said strong cities make strong regions. "It's no accident that Chicago has become the headquarters of the new urbanist movement," he said.

John Weicher, U.S. assistant secretary for housing and federal housing commissioner from HUD, spoke about the development of American cities since the turn of the 20th century and the country's successes and failures in reaching its goals. He highlighted the importance of the conference as a forum to share the experiences of different countries.

Representatives from many countries documented the decline and remaking of public housing, the need for neighborhoods to accommodate a range of socioeconomic groups and the shift of industry from old cities to younger cities in developing countries.

Attendees discussed the growing influence of tourism that promotes cities as cultural and entertainment centers, and the need for innovation in the leadership and management of cities.

"The forces of globalization pay no respect to national frontiers," said Robin Hambleton, dean of the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. "City regions now compete in an international, if not global, marketplace. Cities that understand this changing environment and learn from experience abroad are the ones that will succeed."

Hambleton said government and business leaders should seek the help of academics. "In many countries, the wealth of research capacity in urban universities represents a neglected resource for urban leaders," he said.

UIC ranks among the nation's top 50 universities in federal research funding and is Chicago's largest university with 25,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. For more information about UIC, visit www.uic.edu

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