Topics will include coastal flooding, beach erosion, public space access, resilience, climate-friendly planning, housing affordability, zoning reform, walkability and transportation reform, and more; plans are under way for tours on Friday the 26th and Monday the 29th
A postcard of a Newport beach from the 1930s.
NEWPORT, RI USA - The early bird registration rate ends today for the 60th International Making Cities Livable (IMCL) conference set to occur in this beautiful coastal town, April 26-28, 2024.
Like many coastal cities around the world, Newport is facing severe challenges from flooding, beach erosion and related challenges. The city is also experiencing many other familiar challenges for cities around the world, including housing unaffordability, lack of suitable "middle" housing, lack of walkability and recreational opportunities, uneven distribution of high-nutrition food sources (AKA "food deserts") and similar challenges, The IMCL conference will examine Newport's challenges with the Rhode Island Department of Health and other partners, as well as the challenges and opportunities of other cities.
The conference title is "Making Cities Livable: Research Into Communication, and ACTION." During the intensive, intimate symposium, leading researchers will join policymakers, practitioners, and NGO heads to assess the latest research and case study lessons, considering both new and existing neighborhoods, cities and towns. Accepted and invited speakers come from every continent except Antarctica.
Our venue is the beautiful Bois Doré estate, made available through the generous sponsorship of Fairfax and Sammons Architects. The building is very close to the Newport's walkable downtown, and to a number of hotels, inns, and B&Bs. It includes a main plenary space and a number of spaces for breakout sessions and meetings.
Newport is readily accessible by train from New York, Boston and Providence, via the Amtrak station in Kingston (a short distance away by bus, taxi or Uber). Bus connections are also available in Providence and other cities.
Case studies will assess successes and lessons learned, with a focus on practical and effective actions. We will explore the latest research and its application to current challenges, as well as ongoing collaborations to facilitate additional research and development of new tools and strategies among the partners.
In addition to the Rhode Island Department of Health, local partners will include Bike Newport, Roger Williams University, and others to be announced shortly. They will join senior representatives of The King's Foundation (UK), the Congress for the New Urbanism, the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture, and Urbanism (INTBAU), UN-Habitat, HealthBridge Canada, The Seaside Institute, PlacemakingX, The Urban Guild, and others to be announced.
Participants will have the opportunity to participate in tours of landmarks and case studies in Newport and Providence. The tours will occur on Friday prior to the opening reception, on Monday after the conference, and possibly in some cases, during the conference itself. More information will be announced soon.
Please join us! More information is at https://www.imcl.online/2024-newport
Comments